LA Screenings: Hot Picks to Keep on the Radar
A dozen or more of series you wouldn't want to miss, and in a few cases may have well seen.
'Anti-Kidnapping Unit'
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Globoplay
5 x 45' and 60'
Created by José Junior and José Luiz Magalhães and directed by Lipe Binder, the fourth season of gritty crime series 'The Anti-Kidnapping Unit' follows Detective Carlos Mendonça (Silvio Guindane) and Inspector Juliano Santiago (Erom Cordeiro) as they confront the surge of kidnappings that gripped Rio de Janeiro in the late '80s and '90s. New series is another partnership between AfroReggae Audiovisual and Globo, which has produced such hits as 'Living On a Razor's Edge,' 'Dissident Archangel' and 'The Game.' AfroReggae's commitment to keeping it real meant location shoots in favelas and prisons. 'The Anti-Kidnapping Unit' is an original Globoplay production in collaboration with AfroReggae Audiovisual and A Fábrica.
'The Artist'
Fifth Season
8 x 45'
Stars align in this new show, led by Mandy Patinkin ('Homeland'), Janet McTeer ('Ozark'), Danny Huston, Hank Azaria, Patti Lupone, Zachary Quinto, Clark Gregg and Katherine McPhee. But not just because of its stunning cast: set in the twilight of the Gilded Age, when a murder strikes the estate of an eccentric and failing tycoon, that era's biggest celebrities make an appearance as well. Inventor Thomas Edison, painter Edgar Degas and actress Evelyn Nesbit butt famous heads as lies, mystery and ambition collide as the truth is shockingly revealed. Written and directed by Aram Rappaport, it's produced by The Network Studios.
'The Assassin'
All3Media
6×60'
This female-led action thriller is set against the idyllic backdrop of a remote Greek island. It's here that retired assassin Julie (Keeley Hawes, 'Orphan Black: Echoes,' 'Miss Austen') and her estranged son Edward (Freddie Highmore, nominated for a Golden Globe for 'The Good Doctor') find themselves thrown together. As questions around Edward's paternity and Julie's dangerous past catch up with them, the pair are forced to flee the island and go on the run. Hawes and Highmore are joined on that adventure by Shalom Brune-Franklin, Richard Dormer, Gina Gershom and Jack Davenport. Two Brothers Pictures produce for Prime Video, UK and Ireland, in association with German co-production partner ZDF, All3Media International and Stan in Australia.
'Celeste,'
The Mediapro Studio Distribution,
6 x 30'
Winner of Series Mania's International Panorama, plus a best actress award for Carmen Machi, once a comedian but now with turns in 'Piggy,' 'La Mesías' and now 'Celeste' earning recognition as one of the finest actors of her generation. Machi plays a dowdy tax inspector closing in on a Shakira-style Latina singer for tax fraud.'Can you make an exciting thriller, with plot twists, starring the most boring person in Spain?' creator Diego San Jose asked himself. What he achieves in 'Celeste' is a moving dramatic thriller about a women opening up to love when it almost seems past. Produced by the powerhouse combo of Movistar Plus+ and The Mediapri Studio, elegantly directed by Elena Trapé.
'Code of Silence'
ITV Studios
6 x 60 mins
Deaf catering worker Alison is juggling two jobs: in a police canteen and a local bar. She's also supporting her Deaf mum, Julie. When the police call on Alison to lip-read the conversations of dangerous criminals, she is plunged into a high-stakes new world. Her assessment of the gang's clandestine meetings quickly becomes key to unlocking the investigation. But she finds herself increasingly drawn to one of the suspects. Alison knows she's putting herself at risk – but she can't let go. Produced by Mammoth Screen for ITVX, this 'riveting, suspenseful' thriller 'will make you look at the world around you with new eyes,' it was stated. Stars Rose Ayling-Ellis, Andrew Buchan and Charlotte Ritchie, it was written by Catherine Moulton.
'The Copenhagen Test'
NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution
8 x 60'
James Wan and creator Thomas Brandon head five minutes into the future where a first generation-American intelligence analyst Alexander Hale ('Barbie's' Simu Liu) realizes his brain has been hacked. Suddenly, the perpetrators gain access to everything he sees and hears. Caught between his shadowy agency and the unknown hackers, he must maintain an ongoing performance to flush out who's responsible and prove where his allegiance lies. Apart from Brandon and Wan, Jennifer Yale, Simu Liu, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett also exec produce this Peacock proposition. Liu is joined by Melissa Barrera, Sinclair Daniel, Brian d'Arcy James, Mark O'Brien, Kathleen Chalfant and Sara Amini.
'The Couple Next Door – Deadly Attraction'
Beta Film
6×60'
Now in post-production, the show – directed by Dries Vos and written by David Allison, Aggy Adams and Hugh Dennis – follows into shady footsteps of season 1: Channel 4's best streaming launch ever in the UK. But this time, with an entirely new storyline and cast. Together since med school, Charlotte and Jacob's lives and careers have proceeded as they always expected: a lovely home, happily child free, time and money to do whatever they want. They truly are a high-powered couple. But when Charlotte's old flame is revealed to be a potential new investor at the hospital, Jacob's long-suppressed worries start to bubble to the surface. Giving in to your desires could have deadly consequences, and Sam Palladio ('Nashville') and Annabel Scholey ('The Split') are about to find that out.
'Deal or No Deal Island'
Banijay Entertainment
Well-known format 'Deal or No Deal' gets a new – and exotic – spin. Created by Endemol Shine North America for NBC, it's now set on the Banker's private island where there are twists behind every palm tree. Hidden on the island are cases with millions of dollars split between the contestants, which they compete to retrieve so they can play a game of 'Deal or No Deal' against the Banker. Only one will survive until the very last episode, where they'll compete for a huge cash prize. Luckily, Joe Manganiello is there to help. 'What if the Banker had a private island and decided to put his contestants through an extreme game to find one winner? The craziness of the idea is, I think, what we and NBC rallied around,' Endemol Shine North America's Sharon Levy told Variety.
'Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service'
Fox
Restaurateurs looking for a quick fix or social media glow-up are in for the surprise when famed Gordon Ramsay trades his signature chef knives for a state-of-the-art surveillance vehicle and spyware. In this new unscripted series, he'll venture into struggling restaurants under the cover of night. With the help of a secret source on the inside, he'll gather unfiltered evidence and get a 360-degree view of the major issues facing each restaurant. By the time Ramsay reveals his identity, it will be too late for staff to cover up their culinary crimes. Produced by Fox's Studio Ramsay Global and Fox Alternative Entertainment, with Ramsay on board also as an executive producer. Bill Langworthy serves as an executive producer and showrunner.
'The Iris Affair'
Fremantle
8 x 60'
A Sky Studios and Fremantle co-production, with Wildside providing production services in Italy, sees Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander in a chase thriller about a rootless and enigmatic genius, Iris Nixon, who steals a code from a charming philanthropist and goes on the run. Armed only with her lethal intelligence and chameleonic charm, the clock is ticking for her to work out what the code could unleash before she's found. 'All I wanted to do was to make a show I wanted to watch. 'Iris' is an unapologetically exciting, witty, chase-driven adventure show and features a lead character the likes of which I don't think we've ever met before on TV,' said its creator Neil Cross, also behind 'Luther'. 'Iris' will be available on Sky and NOW in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
'It: Welcome to Derry'
Warner Bros. Television
He's everything you were ever afraid of. Set in the scary world of Stephen King's 'It' universe, this new prequel series is based on his 1986 novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films 'It' and 'It Chapter Two,' released in 2017 and 2019. Featuring Jovan Adepo ('Watchmen'), Chris Chalk ('Perry Mason'), Taylour Paige ('Zola'), James Remar, Stephen Rider and, obviously, Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown, it's scheduled to be released on HBO. As previously reported by Variety, Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane serve as co-showrunners and will executive produce along with Andy and Barbara Muschietti.
'Outlander: Blood of My Blood'
Sony Pictures Television
10 episodes
'Outlander: Blood of my Blood,' a prequel to the hit 'Outlander' series, spans from the WWI battlefields to 18th century Scotland, as it follows the parents of Jamie Fraser and Claire Beauchamp, the lovers in the time travel series. It follows the two young couples who bravely resist the forces bent on driving them apart. Jamie Roy ('Condor's Nest') plays Brian Fraser, Harriet Slater is Ellen MacKenzie while Jeremy Irvine plays Henry Beauchamp and Hermione Corfield is Julia Beauchamp. Matthew B. Roberts ('Outlander'), Maril Davis ('Outlander, For All Mankind') and Ronald D. Moore ('Battlestar Galactica') executive produce.
'Wild Cherry'
BBC Studios
6×60'
Lorna (Carmen Ejogo) is a self-made, successful black businesswoman from South London. Her best friend Juliet (Eve Best) – a woman born into the privileged gated community they both call home. Their daughters live a life other teenagers can only dream of – that is, until they are implicated in a shocking scandal at their private school and Juliet and Lorna are forced to take sides. Described as a 'provocative and deliciously honest' look at mother-daughter relationships – in a haze of social media, hidden apps and peer pressure – the show is produced by Firebird Pictures, one of BBC Studios' owned production labels, for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Written and created by Nicôle Lecky with Toby MacDonald directing.
'Young Suchard'
Dori Media
20 x 30'
The series about acclaimed mentalist Lior Suchard blurs reality and imagination, blending comedy and drama with a nostalgic '90s vibe. 'Young Suchard' follows Suchard and his band of misfit friends as he uncovers his mentalist powers, using them to solve problems—and maybe even find his first love. It offers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the secrets behind his rise, giving viewers a chance to uncover the mysteries of his extraordinary abilities.
Created by Elad Chen, Suchard, Michael Stern, Shlomit Arviv and directed by Aaron Geva and Mickey Triest, the show offers insights into mentalism, which combines a deep understanding of body language, social cues, anatomy, mathematics and custom-designed tools.
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'The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas,' Trump said in a video message. 'We don't want them.' Bruce Hoffman: The Boulder attack didn't come out of nowhere Months before the Boulder attack, Trump had already ordered U.S. consulates to intensify screening of visa applicants, including scouring their social-media accounts, for evidence of anti-Semitism and 'anti-American' beliefs or opinions, citing the threat of acts like the one Soliman is accused of committing against a group of demonstrators marching in support of Israeli hostages. Whether Soliman arrived with hateful views or adopted them during his time in the United States will be part of the investigation. 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In recent weeks, Trump's poll numbers on immigration—arguably his signature issue—have slipped, as courts blocked some of his policies and many Americans deemed his administration's in-your-face tactics, including sending migrants to a hellish megaprison in El Salvador, too extreme. Trump has been frustrated that deportations are not on pace to set records, as he'd promised. Miller, the architect of his immigration crackdown, has ordered ICE to increase arrests more than fourfold, to a minimum of 3,000 people a day. Trump was updated on the Colorado attack in real time, much like he was on two other high-profile recent incidents of anti-Semitic violence, according to two White House officials. But his public reaction was strikingly different when the alleged perpetrator was an immigrant. Shortly after the shooting of the two Israeli-embassy staffers near the Capital Jewish Museum last month, Trump took to Truth Social to extend condolences to the victims' families and condemn the attack, writing, 'These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.' A month before that, after an arson attack at the Pennsylvania governor's mansion on the first night of Passover, Trump's response was delayed and muted. He made no Truth Social post, waited a week to call Governor Josh Shapiro—a Democrat angling to be one of the party's leading Trump critics–—and dismissed the suspect as 'probably just a whack job' without assigning any sort of blame. That response was not atypical for Trump, who has been slow to denounce political violence against Democrats (such as the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband, an assault that Trump later turned into a punch line at his rallies) or committed in his name (the January 6 insurrection). After the Colorado incident, he waited until the following morning to post on Truth Social and, instead of focusing on the apparent anti-Semitism behind the attack, opted to return to his favorite political hobbyhorse, immigration. The choice was revealing: Throughout his political career, Trump has cited the dangers posed by migrants to argue for closed borders and hard-line policies. Juliette Kayyem: The deadly virus of anti-Semitic terrorism A White House official and an outside political adviser told us that Trump is not concerned about being criticized for not showing sufficient sympathy for fearful Jewish Americans. He believes that he has already proved his strong support of Israel, even though cracks in his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have grown evident in recent months. They claim that Trump has the political winds at his back again; his poll numbers are recovering from their trade-war-driven decline and Republicans in the House of Representatives have passed a sweeping budget bill. With Soliman's family in custody on Tuesday evening, the White House posted on X: 'Six One-Way Tickets for Mohamed's Wife and Five Kids. Final Boarding Call Coming Soon.' Yesterday, in Colorado, U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher blocked the Trump administration from immediately deporting Soliman's wife, Hayam El Gamal, and their children, ordering ICE to follow standard due process. Gallagher, a Biden appointee, has scheduled a hearing for June 13. ICE records show that El Gamal and her children are being held at a family-detention center in Dilley, Texas.
