DVD Top Picks
FEUD: BETTE
AND JOAN
Here come
the Boston
Celtics!
PLUS!
TIME AFTER TIME
Susan Sarandon and
Jessica Lange play other
top actresses
Shades of Blue Making History
The chase across eras is continues to offer
on again as ‘Time After
Jennifer Lopez new
Time’ becomes an ABC
shades of acting
series
folio
Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
What two guys and
a duffel bag can
accomplish
VAMPIRE
DIARIES
SPECIAL
INSERT
contents
C
What’s
HOT this
Week!
YOURTVLINK
STAFF PICK
TOP STORIES
12-13 A movie with an enduring following becomes a series
as H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper to modern New York in
“Time After Time,” premiering Sunday on ABC. Stars Freddie
Stroma and Josh Bowman and executive producer Kevin
Williamson tell Jay Bobbin about keeping certain aspects of
the film while making the show its own project.
14-15 New police intrigue greets Jennifer Lopez as her
NBC drama series “Shades of Blue” begins its second
season Sunday. The actress-producer-singer and fellow star
Ray Liotta tell Jay Bobbin about the fresh twists and turns
awaiting their characters in the show’s sophomore round.
3
17 In Fox’s “Making History,” Adam Pally stars as a professor
who invents a device that allow him and his colleague to
go back in time and alter historical events – presumably to
improve the present. Pally and fellow series regulars Leighton
Meester, Yassir Lester, John Gemberling and Neil Casey talk
about their roles in the comedy series.
The rivalry between two screen legends is dramatized by Susan
Sarandon and Jessica Lange in “Feud: Bette and Joan,” premiering
Sunday on FX. The Oscar winners and executive producer Ryan
Murphy tell Jay Bobbin about re-creating the Hollywood of nemeses
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.
CELEBRITY
REALITY
4 Italia Ricci remains by the side of the
‘Designated Survivor’
5 How ‘The Arrangement’ allowed
Michael Vartan to get away from playing
the nice guy
6 ‘Underground’s’ Aisha Hinds
wanted to do Harriet Tubman justice
16 After ‘The Profit’ comes ‘The
Partner’ for Marcus Lemonis on CNBC
8 Paul Rust plays a nice guy with a dark
side in Netflix’s ‘Love’
9 Getting to know `Grey’s Anatomy’ actor
James Pickens Jr.
FOOD
7 ‘Carnival Eats’ on Noah Cappe and
his cast-iron stomach
SPORTS
18-19 Here come the Boston Celtics
MOVIES
20-21 Theatrical Review, and Our top
DVD releases
IN EVERY ISSUE
22-23 Our top suggested programs
to watch this week!
Here’s where you can find us
facebook/yourtvlink
https://twitter.com/yourtvlink Visit YourTVLINK.com
Page 2 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
10-11
Bids Farewell
CONTRIBUTING Staff
Managing Editor: Michelle Wilson
Writers: Jay Bobbin, George Dickie, John Crook, Dan Ladd
Magazine Design: Nicolle Burton
Quality: Chris Browne
Editor's choice
By Jay Bobbin
Bette Davis. Joan Crawford. Two iconic actresses ... one
legendary feud.
Having worked his creative magic for FX on such series as
“American Horror Story” and “The People v. O.J. Simpson:
American Crime Story,” producer Ryan Murphy turns his
attention – with ample assistance from modern, Oscarwinning acting staples Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange
– to a famous Hollywood rivalry in “Feud: Bette and Joan,”
premiering Sunday, March 5.
The saga largely revolves around Crawford (Lange) and
Davis’ (Sarandon) work in the classic 1962 thriller “What Ever
Happened to Baby Jane?,” a major vehicle for both of them
when their decades-spanning stardom was on the wane.
The result was competition and mistrust between them that
escalated to an epic level, thus ensuring the sort of drama
that qualifies for a limited-run (eight-episode) television series.
“I wasn’t really interested in doing anything that was ‘campy’
or a ‘camp fest,’ ” Murphy maintains. “I was interested in
something a little deeper and a little bit more emotional and
painful. I think ultimately what happened to both women is
very painful.
“I got to know Bette Davis. I had a very minor relationship
with her and got to spend time with her, and ... you go into
something like that expecting a larger-than-life camp figure,
which I think she helped propagate. And she told me when
I talked to her that she felt that she was never going to be
anybody unless somebody could impersonate her, so in
the public view, she rarely turned that off. She felt that was
important for her survival, but when I got across from her oneon-one and I got to spend four hours talking with her one day,
she was not that person at all. She was not camp. She was
not broad. She was very emotional and real, and all of those
things were in the water when we began to write the show.”
Sarandon says she found “the good news and bad news with
playing someone well-known is that there are so many pieces
of film and TV appearances and interviews and recordings
and everything, so we just hunkered down. For the first six
STORY
weeks, we were just getting as much as we could – but when
Ryan first talked to me about it, I said, ‘I’m just terrified. I am
so scared.’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m scared, too. It will be OK.’
And that really helped me a lot.”
Much Crawford material also was available to Lange, who
reasons, “When (Crawford) was in public, she was performing,
so it was very hard to find a moment where you could like
really discern what the heart and soul of that character was.
As an actor, you go back to, ‘OK, well, this is what happened
to her in her childhood, what determined who she was: the
physical abuse, sexual abuse, the poverty, all these things
she was constantly fighting against for the rest of her life.
“She had a 5th-grade education,” adds Lange. “As she said,
‘Everything I learned, I was taught by MGM’: how to walk,
how to speak, how to present your face. I mean, everything,
so there is this great artifice. Then, what becomes interesting
as an actor is when that artifice falls away, and then you
actually can invent what you would imagine was inside her.”
Additional notables in the “Feud” cast include Alfred Molina
as Baby Jane director Robert Aldrich, Stanley Tucci as filmindustry mogul Jack Warner (whose Warner Bros. studio
made that movie), Judy Davis as then-powerful gossip
columnist Hedda Hopper, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Olivia
de Havilland (Davis’ co-star in Aldrich’s “Baby Jane”-ish
follow-up “Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte”), Kiernan Shipka
(“Mad Men”) as Davis’ daughter, and two more veterans
(besides Lange) of Murphy’s company of ensemble players:
Emmy winners Sarah Paulson and Kathy Bates, respectively
portraying actresses Geraldine Page and Joan Blondell.
The mentor of the Half Foundation that ensures plentiful work
for female directors on his productions, Murphy envisions
future editions of Feud. Despite the battle-ready inference of
the title, he believes the effect of the initial drama ultimately
is “something much more delicate and moving. What I love
about the show is that even though it’s set in 1962, the
themes and issues are so modern, women are still going
through this sort of stuff today that they went through 50
years ago. Nothing has really changed, and we really wanted
to lean into that aspect.”
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 3
CELEBRITY
Jay Bobbin‘s Q&A
‘Designated Survivor’ gives Italia Ricci
a ‘very rich’ role
ay
Wednesd
on ABC
As “Designated Survivor” resumes its
freshman season Wednesday (March 8),
what do you consider the key to the show’s
success so far?
All of the characters on the show are very rich
and very valuable. They work so well and so
symbiotically, that’s what’s making the show
exciting for viewers.
What do you remember about landing your
part as presidential adviser Emily Rhodes on
“Designated Survivor”?
I booked the role while I was shooting
“Supergirl,” and I was happy that I had
something else once I knew (the character)
Silver Banshee was going to be finished on that
series. (“Designated Survivor”) was such a good
script, and with Kiefer (Sutherland) involved, I
was so excited. It kind of felt like I’d graduated to
a grown-up show.
The last episode ended with Emily fearing
that Chief of Staff Aaron Shore (Adan Canto),
for whom she was starting to fall, might be
involved in the terrorist attack that made Tom
Kirkman (Sutherland) the new President.
What thoughts can you share on that?
It’s changed a few times. I’d been told where
it was going to go, then where it wasn’t, so I
actually have no idea what’s going to happen.
Reading one of these scripts is as exciting
as watching an episode for the first time as a
viewer. The actors are on a text chain, and we’re
constantly like, “Have you read it it? What page
are you on?”
folio
Page 4 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
You married Robbie Amell (“The Flash”) last
fall, and you were working on the series right
up to the time of the wedding. How was that
for you?
It was actually kind of great, because I didn’t
have time to get nervous or anything like that.
CELEBRITY
George Dickie’s Q&A
Michael Vartan plays it dark on E’!s
‘The Arrangement’
What attracted you to the role of Terrence
Anderson, the svengali-like life coach
to a high-profile film star in E’s “The
Arrangement”?
Several things. The main thing for me was
the nature of the character. For the most part
throughout my career, I’ve always played the
good guy, the nice guy, the boyfriend, the
husband. And Terrence, the character, I play
is obviously quite dark and manipulative and
flawed and has a lot of, probably, skeletons in
his closet. So just to get to play the bad guys
for a change, not that he’s necessarily an evil
character but he certainly has more layers
than the run-of-the-mill character you can
imagine. So that was the main thing.
Also, just the nature of the show. There’s
so much content out there right now.
(“The Arrangement” is) not a procedural
cop drama, it’s not a show about an ER
or a medical drama. It’s not about a law
firm. So it was different. It was something
new that I hadn’t read before and meeting
Jonathan (Abrahams), who’s the writer and
showrunner, I had a great meeting with
him. Obviously, he worked on ‘Mad Men’ for
several years, he’s an incredibly talented guy,
and I just thought it was really well written.
So who is Terrence Anderson?
The way I see him is someone who initially
had nothing but good intentions and is
probably a good person deep down inside
but someone who along the way with
success and fortune sort of lost his way and
kind of forgot why he started the Institute in
the first place and now is sort of consumed
by Hollywood and the business and keeping
Josh Henderson’s character Kyle as one of
the most famous movie stars in the world
because that’s obviously a meal ticket for
him as well. He’s a failed actor, so along with
being his mentor and lifelong friend, there’s
also a certain amount of jealousy and envy.
So there are a lot of interesting colors that
this character has that were really fun to play
at different times.
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 5
CELEBRITY
George Dickie’s Q&A
Aisha Hinds consumed by the spirit
of Harriet Tubman on WGN America’s
‘Underground’
Playing abolitionist Harriet Tubman in
WGN America’s “Underground” was an
emotional experience for you?
It really was, and of course that first emotion
is excitement because she is who she is and
she’s impacted so many lives and specifically
just been such a huge inspiration for me my
entire life. And so the opportunity to take
on that role is something that, one, I had
never imagined and so when the opportunity
availed itself, it was like the clouds opened
up. ...
I think ‘Underground’ has found a genius
and unique way of doing in retelling our
stories and visiting this time in history and
sharing these history lessons essentially but
not making you feel like you’re in a boring
lecture hall being brow-beaten with dates
and – yeah (laughs). So I quickly just tried to
step it up and show up for the work, and as
each script came in for each episode it was
right there, it was in the pages. ... I truly felt
like her spirit consumed me. It really did, and
I don’t remember much about a lot of the
performance in this project. I just remember
being so consumed by the spirit and so
whatever comes out is truly, I feel like, what
she pushed out of me.
So one might say you were channeling
her, no?
Yeah, and knowing how strong her spirit is
and knowing that she relied on that spirit and
her spirituality to guide her in treacherous
times through treacherous terrain, I began
to understand why it was that this was one
of those jobs that didn’t require me to reach
into my craft bag. You know, this wasn’t
one of those jobs where I was called upon
to remember all that I had learned in the
conservatory. It was one of those jobs that I
did have to sort of surrender to the spirit of
Harriet Tubman and allow her to just use me
as a vessel and allow her to be channeled.
Page 6 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
George Dickie’s What's for Dinner
Noah
Cappe
dives head first into
TASTY
the decadent dishes of
‘Car nival Eats’
Carnival food has long been famous – or infamous – for its three basic food
groups: carbs, sugar and fat. But that hasn’t stopped Noah Cappe from
forging ahead.
As host of “Carnival Eats,” which opens its fourth season Thursday, March
9, on Cooking Channel, the Toronto native regularly puts himself in harm’s
way to sample outsized burgers, heart attack-inducing fried foods and
confections guaranteed to put you in sugar shock, all so you don’t have to.
Or maybe you want to.
Hey, nobody ever said the stuff isn’t delicious.
“It’s like my stomach was just destined to do this,” Cappe says of his apparent internal fortitude. “The craziest part of the
four seasons and approaching 400 foods that I’ve put into my body, the only time I’ve gotten any food-related sickness
over my four years of filming was on my day off in Toronto last season. So it didn’t even have anything to do with the fair.
Unreal, maybe it’s just my destiny.”
The new season once again takes Cappe across the country to sample the imaginative, decadent and downright weird
dishes being prepared at American carnivals, ranging from the bacon peanut butter and jelly quesadilla in Indiana, to the
deep-fried chili dog in Oregon and the rib pop in California.
In Thursday’s season opener, Cappe touches down at the Big Butler Fair in Prospect, Pa., where he takes on “the
Conevore,” essentially a big ice cream cone filled with smoked meat.
“A huge part of what these guys and girls have to come up with is transportability, a way to get this food around the
fairgrounds,” Cappe explains. “So getting things on a stick is always a big one. You see corndogs and whatever, it’s
always on a stick.
“But this guy,” he continues, “has found a way to actually put your full meat-based lunch inside a cone so you can onehand it and just walk around and play games with the other hand. It’s really the best of both worlds. We haven’t run all
the official tests yet but I think these cooks are geniuses.”
What book are you
currently reading?
What did you have for
dinner last night?
“Well, I’ve gotten into audio
books. ... This book called ‘Red
Notice,’ which is the story of Bill
Browder and the world of high
finance ... . What a crazy story,
like murder and treason, I mean
all of this stuff that unfolds. A
very cool story. ... I’m reading
that and I’m also reading Tina
Fey’s ‘Bossypants’ – and by
reading I mean listening to my
audio book.”
“Last night, my wife and
I made Tunisian freekeh
stew. ... You know it’s
fancy food when you
can’t even pronounce
what you made. But a
Tunisian freekeh stew
with roasted chick peas
in the oven and then a
dollop of yogurt on top. It
was supertasty. I think we
nailed it.”
What is
your next
project?
“Well,
we start
filming ‘The
Bachelor
Canada,’
which I am
the host
of ... in
just over a
month.”
When was your last vacation, where
and why?
“We actually did an unbelievable trip over the
December holidays to Patagonia, which is a
region that runs through Argentina and Chile
... . Really, it’s one of the most unbelievable
trips I’ve ever been on. There was one place
in particular when I was standing there, I
consciously thought to myself, ‘This is the
most beautiful thing I’ve seen in real life with
my own eyes.’ It was just like an amazing trip.
Super awesome.”
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 7
CELEBRITY
George Dickie’s Celebrity ScooP
‘Love’ actor
Paul Rust
says Gus has
a ‘chip on his
shoulder’
Ask Paul Rust how he created his character of
nice guy Gus Cruickshank on Netflix’s relationship
comedy “Love” and you’ll likely get a long pause.
“And a lot of times, characters
like that are sort of presented
as these cuddly, Ewok, dork
types”
“It’s a character who ... if I myself was not in
therapy, that’s sort of what the character is,” the
35-year-old Iowa native says with a laugh. “... For
a decade before this I was playing sort of nerdy
parts and I got excited by the idea of ‘What if we
took a character like that, that you see all the time
in movies and TV shows but then use the TV show
and the format of streaming television as a way to
kind of, I guess, deepen a character like that?’
“And a lot of times, characters like that are sort
of presented as these cuddly, Ewok, dork types,”
he continues. “And in my experience, a lot of
times those people can have a real chip on their
shoulder, sort of a darkness to them and that
became interesting, (the idea) of, ‘How can we
show that as opposed to him just being this
like slightly clichéd ”sweet nerd“ and try to do
something different?’ ”
As Season 2 drops Friday, March 10, Gus and wildchild pal Mickey Dobbs (Gillian Jacobs) have finally
kissed but now are unsure of how to proceed.
Mickey especially is wary of embarking on any
relationship given her addictions to sex and love.
And Gus is willing to give her her space and be just friends
– at least for now.
We’ll see how that goes.
“It’s about the sort of space after you started dating somebody
– you like each other but you haven’t said you’re a real-deal
couple,” Rust, also a writer and executive producer of the
series, explains. “So it’s before that period of two people who
want to try to make something work and so they’re not just
working on the relationship but their own personal lives.”
Birth date: April 12, 1981
Birthplace: Le Mars, Iowa
Residence: Los Angeles
Education: University of Iowa
Family ties: Married Lesley Arfin, also a writer and executive
producer of “Love,” in October 2015
Other talents: Stand-up comedy, improvisation (performs at
the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles), bass guitar
Page 8 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
CELEBRITY
CelebritY profile
James Pic kens Jr.
- He was born October 26, 1954 in Cleveland, Ohio.
- While attending college at Bowling Green State University,
Pickens began pursuing an interest in acting.
- He graduated from BGSU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1976.
- Pickens began work on the stage at the Roundabout Theater
in New York City. During his time on stage, he starred in the
Negro Ensemble Company’s production of “A Soldier’s Play” with
Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson.
- He appeared in the soap opera “Another World” from 19861990.
- Pickens went on to have recurring roles on “X-Files,” ”Curb Your
Enthusiasm,” “The West Wing,” ”Roseanne,” “Beverly Hills, 90210,”
”JAG” and “Six Feet Under.”
James Pickens Jr. is an actor, horseman,
roper and philanthropist, who can
currently be seen on “Grey’s Anatomy”
on ABC.
- Throughout his extensive work on television, Pickens is
best known as Dr. Richard Webber on “Grey’s Anatomy.”
- In film, Pickens has had the fortune of working with
Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson in the following
films: “Jimmy Hollywood” (1994), ”Sleepers” (1996),
“Sphere” (1998) and ”Liberty Heights” (1999).
-He also got to work with Steven Soderbergh in the early
2001 drama “Traffic,” which won several Academy Awards
that year.
- Outside of acting, Pickens spends much of his time
around horses and often indulges in horseback riding and
roping cattle.
- As a competitive roper, Pickens is part of the United
States Championship Roping team and often travels
across country to various events.
- He married Gina Taylor in 1984 and they have two
children, Carl and Gavyn.
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 9
Vampire Diaries
Farewell to a CW favorite
By George Dickie
ne of The CW’s veteran shows ends after eight
seasons Friday, March 10, with a night that
begins with “Forever Young,” a retrospective
with recollections from the actors and executive
producers about the supernatural adventures of
siblings Stefan and Damon (Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder)
and their friends and enemies. Immediately following is the
actual series finale, “I Was Feeling Epic,” and it’s no secret
that founding cast member Nina Dobrev – alias Elena –
returns for it.
Continued on next page
Page 10 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
Vampire Diaries
Here’s a look back
at the show’s best villains
Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan): In
Seasons 3 and 4, Klaus was the series’ main antihero, a powerful
hybrid werewolf/vampire working to build an army of hybrid
followers. And that meant danger for anyone who crossed him,
including Elena, Katherine, Damon, Stefan, Bonnie and Rose.
Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev): A
doppelganger and ancestor of Elena Gilbert (also played by
Dobrev), the ruthless Katherine was a lover of both Salvatore
brothers and may have started their feud. She also had some of the
series’ best one-liners and most shocking moments. The primary
villain of the first two seasons, she was finally killed off in Season 5
by getting sucked into a dark dimension.
Kai Parker (Chris Wood): This innocent-looking
Pictured: Joseph Morgan
though remorseless psychopath stopped at nothing to get what
he wanted – to take over the world – and he enjoyed the pain he
inflicted along the way. Among his crimes: killing his brother and sister, putting Elena in a Sleeping Beauty curse
and torturing many others. So evil was he that the Gemini witches trapped him in a prison world.
Esther Mikaelson (Alice Evans): Anyone who plots to kill her own children, as she did with
Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah, among others, deserves mention on any “Diaries” villain list. Killed by daughter Freya
in the third season.
Dr. Wes Maxfield (Rick Cosnett): As one of the few human villains, the good doctor had a plan
for the vampires: to make them feed on their own and eradicate the species altogether. Was tortured and killed by
Damon at the end of Season 5.
Silas (Paul Wesley): Powerful and dangerous, Silas could get inside his victims’ minds and make
them see and do things they didn’t want to, but he seemed more interested in reuniting with his true love. And he
also provided the series with some of its more humorous moments, such as the knock-knock joke he made about
killing Bonnie’s father. Nonetheless, fans found him terrifying. Killed by Stefan in Season 5.
Qetsiyah (Janina Gavankar): She may have lasted for only a few episodes in Season 5 but the
antics of this witch scorned were pure insanity – and very entertaining. Stalked true love Silas and cut her own
wrists after his death.
Paul Wesley
Nina Dobrev
Ian Somerhalder
Candice Accola
Kat Graham
Matt Davis
Michael Malarkey
Zach Roerig
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 11
STORY
premiering
Sunday
By Jay Bobbin
Television certainly has no shortage of timetravel shows this season, but one travels back
to a well-received movie.
H.G. Wells
chases Jack
the Ripper
anew in ABC’s
take on ‘Time
After Time’
Pictured: Freddie Stroma
Page 12 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
Director-screenwriter Nicholas Meyer adapted
Karl Alexander and Steve Hayes’ premise of
novelist H.G. Wells pursuing the murderous
Jack the Ripper from late-19th-century England
to present-day America (San Francisco,
specifically) in “Time After Time,” a 1979
fantasy-drama that has retained a devoted
following and turns up on Turner Classic Movies
occasionally. Now developed for television by
executive producer Kevin Williamson (“The
Vampire Diaries”), the concept also services
an ABC series that has a two-hour premiere
Sunday, March 5.
Freddie Stroma (“UnREAL”) succeeds the film’s
Malcolm McDowell as Wells, who supposedly
has built a time machine – as opposed just
to writing about one – and uses it to pursue
John Stevenson, alias “Jack” (“Revenge” alum
Josh Bowman, in David Warner’s earlier part)
to contemporary New York. Dangerously in
the middle of their cat-and-mouse game is the
very modern Jane (Spanish-telenovela veteran
Genesis Rodriguez, in a variation on Mary
Steenburgen’s movie role), who helps Wells
while never far off John’s radar. Will Chase
(“Nashville”) also is in the regular cast.
Continued on next page
STORY
Continued from previous page
“What we’re doing, basically, is telling the story of
a young H.G. Wells,” Williamson says. “While we’re
using the first episode as sort of the launching point,
what happens ultimately is that we get into the other
books of H.G. Wells ... ‘The Invisible Man’ ‘The Island
of Doctor Moreau,’ ‘The War of the Worlds’ and so
forth. And we sort of show the inspirations for all those
books that he is going to go back and write.
“One of the things I love about H.G. Wells,” adds
Williamson, a professed fan of the 1979 movie,
“is, thematically, the way that he often wrote of the
good and bad in human nature and how it relates to
technology. We live in a world where we are ruled by
technology and our little gadgets in our hand, and
that’s how we live and breathe now, and it inspires the
good and the bad in us. And Wells believed in utopia;
he wanted that perfect society, and when he comes to
modern-day New York, he’s profoundly disappointed.
And what does he do next? We see him stumble,
whereas Jack the Ripper thrives.”
Stroma reflects that playing his part is “tricky, because
a lot of what we know about Wells is when he was a
little older. A lot of it is once he’s had his success, so
we were playing this pre- all of his novels, so I do think
he would have been likable. I think there are other
sides to him that I didn’t bring into it, but from what
Kevin wrote and from what was in the original film and
book, he was this wide-eyed, bushy-tailed kind of guy
who really believes in utopia, and that’s what I latched
onto.”
While likability isn’t as necessary in depicting John
a.k.a. Jack, actor Bowman reports “Kevin wanted
to make him a very charming person on the face of
things, but deep down, he does have these struggles.
He has impulses that lead him to do very bad things,
and that was something we talked about in the
beginning. I guess I don’t, on the face of it, look like
someone who would potentially be locked up in prison
... but we talked about (Jack) being a friendly, sociable,
charming person. He has to be because he’s a friend
of H.G. Wells, so when H.G. finds out that he’s a serial
killer, it’s a big shock to him.”
Pictured: Josh Bowman
Though NBC’s “Timeless” has put contemporary
perspectives on issues of past eras, Williamson reasons
that “Time After Time” is “meant to be an escape. It’s
entertainment, so we do show the world through Wells’
eyes and through John’s eyes. Hopefully, you can jump
on and follow it and live with the mythology as it grows
and grows and grows, and it gets crazy and insane. I
mean, it gets a little wacky. It’s fun.”
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 13
STORY
n
Sunday o
ABC
By Jay Bobbin
As her police drama starts its second
season, Jennifer Lopez is finding more
shades to “Shades of Blue.”
Also an executive producer of the NBC
series, the actress-singer-dancer has plenty
of first-year fallout to handle in her role as
Brooklyn detective Harlee Santos as the
show resumes Sunday, March 5. She’s
worried she’ll be found out for killing her
abusive ex, and then there’s her strained
connection to Lt. Matt Wozniak (fellow
returnee Ray Liotta) ... who’s on the radar
of Internal Affairs and FBI man Robert Stahl
(Warren Kole), and doing whatever it takes
to protect himself and his comrades against
paying a high price for their less-than-legal
activities.
Jennifer
Lopez has
deeper
‘Shades of
Blue’ as NBC
police drama
returns
“I didn’t know where it was going to go,”
Lopez says of Season 2. “I just know we
ended on such an intense note that I felt like,
‘Where do we go from here?’ Like, where
does this character go from here after what
she’s just done – which I feel she had to do.
But at the same time, it was a puzzle to me.
I didn’t know what Jack (executive producer
Jack Orman) and the writers’ room was going
to come up with, and what they did was even
more intense and crazy than the first year.
So, it’s exciting. It’s exciting to see what’s
going to happen.”
For its return, former “Breaking Bad” costar Anna Gunn joins “Shades of Blue”
(which also counts Ryan Seacrest among
its executive producers) as a previous police
associate of Harlee and Wozniak who runs
for mayor, making matters ever more difficult
for them as the spotlight on her intensifies.
Drea de Matteo, Vincent Laresca and (as
Harlee’s daughter, Cristina) Sarah Jeffery
also continue from the show’s freshman
season.
Continued on next page
Page 14 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
STORY
Continued from previous page
Lopez believes the mother-daughter relationship in
“Shades of Blue” is critical, deeming those scenes
“some of the easiest for me to do, and it’s because I am
a mom and I do feel such an affinity and an affection
toward (Jeffery), and I know our relationship is so clear.
The way I feel about her is so untainted. It is what it
is. It’s unconditional. It’s fierce. It’s deep. It’s what you
have for a child. Everything we play together has that.
(Cristina is) really the biggest joy in (Harlee’s) life and
the only joy in her life at the time, really. That’s her whole
world, so for me, it makes it easy.”
Iconic for his Henry Hill role in director Martin
Scorsese’s 1990 underworld classic “Goodfellas,” Liotta
is seeing the career effects of his “Shades of Blue” work.
“I’ve done a lot of independent movies that I thought
were very good, but it’s really hard to get people to
see them,” the actor reflects, “so to do something that
millions of people are seeing every week – and I gotta
say, Jack and the writers, they’re really writing great
things for me, from crying to wanting to kill somebody
– I think it reminded people that I know how to do this.
There’s been a period where I’ve definitely had an upand-down career, and this has definitely put me back in
the public eye.”
The continuation of “Shades of Blue” is just one
element of “J. Lo’s” alliance with NBC during 2017.
Her competition series “World of Dance” is slated for a
spring debut, and during the end-of-year holidays, she’ll
headline the network’s next musical production with
“Bye Bye Birdie Live!” Even with much other activity on
her plate, Lopez insists “Shades of Blue” has her full
attention when needed.
“I’ve always been side-by-side with the director and the
writers,” she notes, “just working every scene, working
all the different characters, and making sure that
everything’s making sense and everything looks right. I
developed a thing with every director this season, which
was really nice, where they would come to me and ask
my advice on the show and where this is going or where
that’s going and how things should be.
“It’s a great role to have,” says Lopez, “to be that
involved in the whole vision of it as opposed to just
playing my role ... which I love to do, and sometimes,
Pictured: Ray Liotta
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 15
STORY
CNBC’s Marcus
Lemonis seeks
‘The Partner’
to help run his
businesses
By Jay Bobbin
Now that he’s turned “The Profit,” Marcus Lemonis has a
need for “The Partner.”
One of the staples of CNBC’s primetime lineup launches
a new competition Tuesday, March 7, as the self-made
millionaire and entrepreneur seeks someone to help him
manage the businesses he accrued through “The Profit”
… with the winner also getting an equity stake in Lemonis’ “In fact,” adds Lemonis, “the person I hired is already
portfolio and a $500,000 contract.
working, already doing their job. They’re already in the
organization and overseeing a number of the businesses
The ten finalists who ultimately went to Chicago to vie for today.”
the “Partner” job, spanning the country from California to
New York, were chosen from thousands of entrants. At the If one likens “The Partner” to another televised
end of the five-episode show, the winner is someone who competition that seeks the contestant with the best
must match – as Lemonis puts it – his own “drive and
business acumen, Lemonis maintains, “I worked so hard
passion,” which has seen him invest more than $40 million to not have this feel like ‘The Apprentice.’ It isn’t about
of his money in companies.
telling people how stupid they are, or how they’re not
going to be picked. It was about saying, ‘You are qualified,
“It was more emotional for me than I thought it was
but … you don’t possess empathy, or you’re too technical,
going to be,” he says of making the new show, “because
or you’re too hardwired, or you don’t understand how hard
I realized how much I was missing internally, what void I
it is to be a small-business owner.’ It’s not easy, and I was
had and why I was struggling. I was surprised by who I
candidly shocked at what I ended up doing.”
chose. I thought I would choose someone who was like
me, and I ended up choosing someone who wasn’t like
The chairman and CEO of RV retailer Camping World
me at all.”
and the related owners’ organization Good Sam, Lemonis
admits that in tackling “The Partner” at first, “I didn’t
Moreover, Lemonis adds, “I realized that one of them is
know what I thought, to be honest. We started with 10
not enough. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the format, but I
(contenders), then we went to five – and even today, I’m
wish I could have hired two or three of them.”
not sure I picked the right five. There’s that one or two
who made me think, ‘I sent them home and maybe I
Should “The Partner” get future seasons, though, Lemonis shouldn’t have.’
maintains he won’t change the concept: “You put people
in a vacuum, and you really have to get the best person.
“And it wasn’t a traditional interview process,” Lemonis
And I’m not hiring them as employees. If it was that kind
notes, “like, ‘Tell me five things about yourself.’ I put them
of job search, I would hire all of them, but that wasn’t
through these different exercises that would make them
what the purpose was.
think differently. And also push me.”
Page 16 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
STORY
Average
guys travel through
time via gym bag in
Fox’s ‘Making History’
By George Dickie
By any measure, Dan is your average 21st-century slacker.
As a facilities manager at a small Massachusetts college,
he’s the type of guy who turns a deaf ear to complaints
that a lecture hall is too warm so he can leave work early
to meet his girlfriend. The only thing is, the woman he’s
meeting is actually Paul Revere’s daughter, and the way he
gets to her is by a giant duffel bag that doubles as a time
machine.
That, in a nutshell, is the premise of the irreverent new halfhour comedy “Making History,” premiering Sunday, March 5,
on Fox.
Pictured: Adam Pally
But why a duffel bag? Time machines on TV and in
film have taken on many different forms, ranging from
a phone booth in “Doctor Who” to a DeLorean sports
car in the “Back to the Future” movies. But for this
production, the duffel bag came about for two reasons,
according to executive producer and writer Julius
Sharpe.
Of course, Dan’s (Adam Pally, “Happy Endings,” “The Mindy
Project”) travels to the past come with repercussions in
the present. His romance with Deborah Revere (Leighton
Meester, “Gossip Girl,” “Country Strong”) in 1775, where
he uses modern-day songs and comedy routines to make
friends with the Lexington, Mass., Colonialists, has already
delayed the start of the Revolution by several days and
thus jeopardizes American independence from Great
Britain and world history. So with the help of Deborah, his
2017 professor friend Chris (Yassir Lester, “Girls,” “Key
and Peele”) and founding fathers Sam Adams and John
Hancock (Neil Casey, John Gemberling), he must rouse the
citizenry to action and get history back on track.
“I think that probably with what’s going on in America right
now, people are looking for a little bit of escapism,” Pally told
a recent gathering of journalists in Pasadena, Calif., “and
time travel, we were lucky enough to be making this show
at a time politically where we were able to look back at the
way America was formed as a lot of the rights that we hold
so dear now kind of being taken away from us. So that was
a really fun way to approach it comedically.”
“As I thought about it and I was writing this time travel
show, the one thing I didn’t want to do, I didn’t want to
have to spend all my time at work dealing with, like,
some big orb,” he says. “So it was like, what would be
the easiest thing productionwise? It just seemed like
a duffel bag. And then I was thinking about multiple
people being stuck in a duffel bag together. Seemed like
that could be funny. ”
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 17
SPORTS
Isaiah
Thomas,
the next
great
Celtic
Story on next page
Full Name: Isaiah Jamar Thomas
Born: Feb. 7, 1989
Birthplace: Tacoma, Washington
Height/Weight: 5 foot 9 inches/185 pounds
College: Washington
Drafted: 2011, 60th overall pick
Teams: Boston Celtics, 2015-current; Phoenix Suns,
2014-15; Sacramento Kings, 2011-1
Position: Point Guard
No.: 4
Honors and Achievements: NBA All-Star,
2016–2017; NBA All-Rookie team, 2012
Page 18 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
SPORTS
By Dan Ladd
The Boston Celtics are once again a team of relevance in the NBA’s Eastern Conference and it’s no coincidence
their surge in the standings has echoed the productivity of Isaiah Thomas, who is among the league’s top five scoring
leaders. Thomas and the Celtics will be tested when they head to the West coast for a contest with Stephen Curry and
the Golden State Warriors, Wednesday, March 8 on ESPN.
Thomas joined the Celtics mid-season in 2015 and has now made the team his own. Right out of the gate this season
he began averaging over 20-points per game but is now much closer to 30, placing him among the likes of James
Harden and Russell Westbrook. He’s been especially dominant in the fourth quarter literally taking over games and
putting the team on his shoulders.
Although his first name is spelled differently, Thomas is named after NBA Hall-of-Famer Isiah Thomas to whom he is
not related. A standout for the Washington Huskies in college, Thomas was drafted in 2011 as the 60th overall pick by
the Sacramento Kings, where he played three seasons before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2014. The Suns
then traded him to Boston where he has become part of a proud and historic franchise that appears to be again in the
process of building a winning team.
Should the Celtics’ winning ways continue, Thomas and company could give the Cleveland Cavaliers a run for their
money not only in the playoffs, but perhaps for the top seed in the East.
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 19
JAY BOBBIN's Theatrical movie review
MOVIES
Interplanetary
friends bridge ‘The Space Between Us’
Our Take
In case you don’t
think you can
connect to Mars
via the Internet,
now there is
“The Space
Between Us” to
prove you wrong.
It takes young
adult love stories
interplanetary, and
you’ll probably
enjoy it ... if you
happen to be 16 or
under.
Particularly
if you’re over
that age, it’s a
guarantee that
you’ll have to make
some credibility
leaps as big as the
red planet itself.
Asa Butterfield
– who also went
into the cosmos
in “Ender’s Game”
– plays a young
man conceived on Earth but born elsewhere, thanks to
his astronaut mother (Janet Montgomery, of television’s
“Salem” and “This Is Us”).
Once he grows older, he links via the Internet to an
Earth girl (Britt Robertson, of TV’s “Life Unexpected” and
“Under the Dome,” who also was in the fantasy realm in
“Tomorrowland”), and it soon becomes clear that these
two simply must meet.
That happens when the leader of the space-bound
scientists (Gary Oldman, typically giving heft to even the
flimsiest logic) includes the boy in a mission back to his
native planet. The youth quickly goes AWOL to find his
new friend on terra firma, and once he does, they take it
on the lam together.
You might relabel “The Space
Between Us” as
“The Fault From
Our Stars,” and
you wouldn’t be
wrong. Sure, the
idea may appeal
to young viewers
who are happy
to swoon over an
intergalactic love
affair, but others
may need more
than its bubblegum-wrapper
level of supposed
complexity.
To be fair, one
must consider the
picture’s target
audience, and the
casting certainly
is targeted to
that appropriately
Pictured: Asa Butterfield
... though it’s
to Robertson’s
advantage that she still can “play young” as she
approaches the farther edge of a certain age category
for actors. The cast includes such other good performers
as Carla Gugino and BD Wong, but they have to know
they’re in service of Butterfield and Robertson; the
supporting players have their moments, but there’s never
a question of who the stars are meant to be here.
As good as its intentions may be, it’s unfortunate that
“The Space Between Us” – directed by Peter Chelsom,
who also made the charming “Shall We Dance?” and
“Serendipity” – also describes the size of the plot holes
that abound in the movie. In the end, those are likely to
be too tough for older filmgoers to get around.
Page 20 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
JAY BOBBIN's DVD Digest
MOVIES
Top Pick
DVD
“JACKIE”
With as many actresses as have played
Jacqueline Kennedy, Natalie Portman
makes the role her own – having earned
an Oscar nomination for it – in director
Pablo Lorrain’s drama about the former
first lady’s life and times in the immediate
aftermath of her president husband’s
assassination. Few expected her to be a
sort of steel magnolia, but she cemented
her own legacy with the manner in which
she comported herself, at least in public.
Billy Crudup plays a journalist (clearly
modeled on the real Theodore H. White)
who interviews her, with Peter Sarsgaard
as Robert F. Kennedy and John Carroll
Lynch as Lyndon Johnson, but the film
very obviously belongs to Portman.
The script is by Noah Oppenheim, who
also is NBC News’ president now. DVD
extras: “making-of” documentary; audio
commentary by Portman and Lorrain;
photo gallery. ››› (R: AS, P, V) (Also on
Blu-ray and On Demand)
Pictured: Natalie Portman
upcoming DVD releases
“SOLACE” (March 14): A
psychically skilled FBI consultant
(Anthony Hopkins) goes up against
a serial killer (Colin Farrell); Jeffrey
Dean Morgan also stars.
(R: AS, N, P, V)
“MASTER OF NONE: THE
COMPLETE FIRST SEASON”
(March 21): The Netflix comedy
series casts co-creator Aziz Ansari
in the saga of a New York-based
actor. (Not rated: AS, P)
“ELLE” (March 14): Recent
Oscar nominee Isabelle Huppert
stars in director Paul Verhoeven’s
controversial drama about a
vengeful assault victim.
(R: AS, N, P, V)
“MISS SLOANE” (March 21):
Jessica Chastain plays a lobbyist
whose own past could influence her
approach to a controversial issue.
(R: AS, P)
“A KIND OF MURDER” (March
21): An architect’s (Patrick Wilson)
interest in an unsolved homicide
leads him into danger; Jessica Biel
also stars. (R: AS, P, V)
Pictured: Anthony Hopkins
“LION” (April 11): Years after being
adopted by an Australian couple,
a man seeks his biological family;
Oscar nominees Dev Patel and
Nicole Kidman star.
(PG-13: AS)
Family Viewing Ratings
AS Adult situations
P Profanity
V Violence
N Nudity
GV Graphic Violence
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 21
FAVORITE SHOWS
Caleb Reynolds
in “Survivor”
Yo-Yo Ma is profiled in “The
Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma &
the Silk Road Ensemble”
SUNDAY
8 p.m. on TBS, TNT
2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards
From The Forum in Inglewood,
Calif., Ryan Seacrest hosts the
ceremonies honoring the best work
of artists selected online by the
network’s listeners. Battling it out in
the Song of the Year category are
Justin Timberlake (“Can’t Stop the
Feeling”), Sia (“Cheap Thrills”), The
Chainsmokers (“Closer”), Drake
(“One Dance”) and twenty one pilots
(“Stressed Out”). Bruno Mars, Katy
Perry, Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes,
Thomas Rhett, Noah Cyrus and
Big Sean are among the scheduled
performers. New
MONDAY
8 p.m. on HBO
Movie: The Music of Strangers:
Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble
Filmmaker Morgan Neville uses
performance clips, interviews and
archival footage for this profile of
celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the
Silk Road Ensemble, an eclectic group
of musicians who tour worldwide
to celebrate the power of music.
Named for the ancient trade route
that linked Asia, Europe and Africa,
the group consists of a diverse,
rotating assortment of instrumentalists,
vocalists, composers and storytellers,
exemplifying the way music blurs
geographical boundaries and blends
cultures while inspiring hope. Premiere
Page 22 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote March 5 - 11, 2017
Lara Spencer co-anchors
“People Icons”
10 p.m. on VH1
Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner
Party
Actress Bella Thorne (“Famous in
Love”) and rapper Curtis “50 Cent”
Jackson travel with Martha and
Snoop to cook pizza in Old Italy for
a party in the season finale “Makin’
That Dough.” Musical guest October
London performs “Shoulder to Lean
On.” Season Finale New
TUESDAY
10 p.m. on ABC
People Icons
“Good Morning America” co-anchor
Lara Spencer moonlights as host of
this new series, based on covers of
People Magazine issues that have
had relatively enduring impacts. The
continued on next page
FAVORITE SHOWS
premiere episode, “Celebrity
Love Stories,” spends an hour on
precisely that — with Elizabeth
Taylor and Richard Burton, Prince
William and the former Kate
Middleton, ex-President and First
Lady Barack and Michelle Obama,
and Beyonce and Jay-Z among
the famous couples highlighted.
Season Premiere New
10 p.m. on FX
The Americans
If you fretted that the marriage
of Philip and Elizabeth Jennings
(Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell) was
going to either implode or burn
down to the ground in Season
4, then hang onto your hats as
Season 5 opens with “Amber
Waves.” The Centre sends the
couple on an operation unlike
any they’ve attempted before,
putting them under more of a
strain. They’re also understandably
worried about daughter Paige’s
(Holly Taylor) relationship with
Matthew Beeman (Daniel Flaherty),
whose dad (Noah Emmerich) is an
FBI agent. Season Premiere New
WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. on CBS
Survivor
Familiar faces from past editions
of the competition return as the
show’s 34th round, subtitled “Game
Changers,” opens with a two-hour
premiere — also the 500th episode
of the series. Fiji’s Mamanuca
Islands provide the setting as
host and executive producer Jeff
Probst welcomes back experienced
players including Sandra DiazTwine (who won both Seasons 7
and 20) and Caleb Reynolds, who
was medically evacuated during
the “Brain vs. Brawn vs. Beauty”
Season 32. Season Premiere
New
10:03 p.m. on HISTORY
SIX
This military drama, which got
some unexpected and tragic
contemporary relevance recently
as a result of an ill-fated real-life
mission involving the team in Yemen,
wraps up its first season with the
suspenseful new episode “End Game,”
in which the team members finally
have a face-to-face confrontation with
Michael (Dominic Adams) and his
jihadist soldiers. Barry Sloane, Kyle
Schmid, Edwin Hodge and Walton
Goggins also star. Season Finale New
THURSDAY
9 p.m. on CMT
Nashville
In the midseason finale, Maddie
(Lennon Stella) is somewhat
overwhelmed by the wave of attention
coming her way after her appearance
at the CMT Music Awards, but Juliette
(Hayden Panettiere) steps up to help
her keep perspective and navigate
all the publicity. Elsewhere, Zach
(Cameron Scoggins) makes a ruthless
move as he demands to be given the
masters from Rayna and Deacon’s
(Charles Esten) unfinished album. New
10 p.m. on ABC
The Catch
Expect the tone to be lighter — even
more in line with romantic comedies
about thieves such as, well, “To
Catch a Thief” — as this series from
executive producer Shonda Rhimes’
stable returns for its second season
with “The New Deal.” Private detective
Alice (Mireille
Enos) remains
determined to
get the goods
on her conman ex-beau
Benjamin
(Peter Krause)
while also
working other
cases. Sonya
Walger, Rose
Rollins, Elvy
Yost and
Jay Hayden
continue as co-stars. Season Premiere
New
FRIDAY
9 p.m. on TLC
Ghost Brothers
Best friends and freelance ghostbusters
Dale Spratt, Juwan Mass and Marcus
Harvey bring their avid curiosity and
irrepressible sense of humor to a new
batch of episodes as they open Season
2 with a trip to New Castle, Ind., for a
visit to Thornhaven Manor. Enlisting the
help of local historians and caretakers,
the trio investigates claims that this
structure harbors a dark energy that
seems to be aimed expressly at males.
Season Premiere New
SATURDAY
8 p.m. on NICKELODEON
Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice
Awards
Justin Timberlake (7 nominations)
and Kevin Hart (6 nominations) lead
the pack of performers whose work
in film, television, music, pop culture,
animation and more is recognized by
their young fans via online voting. From
the Galen Center at the University of
Southern California, John Cena hosts
the often zany proceedings, which are
as noteworthy for their enthusiastic
“sliming” of hapless celebrities as
for some of the unorthodox awards
categories (favorite
butt-kicker and most
wanted pet, for
example). New
John Cena hosts
“Nickelodeon’s
2017 Kids’
Choice Awards”
March 5 - 11, 2017 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 23