Latest news with #Laid
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Peacock cancels FIVE shows as fans argue new romantic comedy ‘didn't get a fair chance'
PEACOCK has cancelled five shows, leading fans to argue that one comedy 'didn't get a fair chance.' In April, Peacock confirmed the horror-thriller series Teacup and Hysteria! are both being axed after one season. 4 Joining the shows being dropped are Mr Throwback and dark comedy Based on a True Story, which stars Kaley Cuoco. Now, it's also been revealed that 'Laid' has been cancelled by Peacock too. The series stars Stephanie Hsu as Ruby Yao, who discovers that her former sexual partners have been dying off, in the order with which she slept with them. But despite the first season ending on a cliffhanger, Peacock has now cancelled it - much to the disappointment of fans. Fans have complained that Laid got barely any promotions, marketing or ads, so they've insisted it 'didn't get a fair chance' to succeed. After the news was revealed, one person wrote: 'This was a lovely show. They did no promotions btw.' A second penned: 'Where was the promo they didn't even get a chance,' and a third echoed: 'Ugh!! This is the worst!!' Someone else said: 'Another case of original ideas being ignored to the point of letting them rot and die.' And another person wrote: 'Peacock should just give up on original content. They're obviously not good at keeping a show past 2 seasons.' Peacock cancels four shows with A-list star's 'amazing' comedy axed after just two seasons Others complained that they'll never know what happens after the cliffhanger. But it's not the first time that fans have been left disappointed by Peacock cancelling shows recently. Revealing their sadness over the axe of Based On A True Story, one person said: 'I found out Based on a True Story was recently canceled and I'm so bummed.' And another furious viewer sent a message to Peacock, saying: 'Very disappointed to hear that you have canceled Based on a True Story after 2 seasons. 'I am probably going to cancel my paid subscription and just boycott your channel altogether. 'The show received a 79% percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Very stupid decision.' The first season of Based on a True Story premiered in June 2023 with a second following in November last year. Kaley, 39, stars as Ava Bartlett, a pregnant real estate agent who is passionate about true crime. The series also features Chris Messina, who plays Ava's husband and former tennis pro Nathan, and Tom Bateman as Matt Pierce. Kaley previously told how she took the job due to the show reflecting a lot of her real life. She told Awards Review: "A lot of boxes were checked for me in this show. The writing was fantastic. "I love true crime. I literally fall asleep to Dateline every single night. I watch repeats, I listen to murder podcasts. "I also grew up playing tennis. There's a lot of parts from this show that made sense for me. And knowing that I was going to work with Chris Messina was something I really wanted to do, too." 4 4
Telegraph
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
London's most opulent fringe venue opens with a brilliant no-holds-barred show
Friday night saw London's newest and most opulent comedy venue open its doors with an extravagant bang thanks to US comedian Natalie Palamides. Quite a few 'bangs' in fact, if one's being smutty, which Palamides sure is − and certainly, as an opening, determinedly fringey mission statement and outrageously entertaining evening out, it is hard to see how this show could be bettered. An offshoot of the much-loved Dean Street institution of similar name, Soho Theatre Walthamstow turns out to be quite a place. Built in 1930 as an astonishing 2,700-seater cinema, the building has been lovingly restored and transformed into a theatre with a still-ambitious 960 seats. ('Soho' don't seem to be publicising how much it cost, but we can safely go with: a packet.) The auditorium is marvellous, a grand, old-school space with luxurious, Alhambra-inspired trimmings, good leg-room and excellent raking and sight-lines. There's a capacious foyer with a disco ball the size of Jupiter, two large and well-staffed bars, and you can get a naan wrap for a tenner. Plus, it's barely five minutes' walk from the local Tube station. What's not to like? First aired in Edinburgh last summer, the show with which Walthamstow is setting out its stall echoes the venue in terms of being at once reassuringly old-fashioned and utterly modern. A no-holds-barred comic paean to the big-screen romances of the 1990s, and flipping between 1999 and 1996, Weer sees Palamides simultaneously play both of the central lovers, Mark and Christina. (A bizarre quadruple coincidence for this particular writer, but that's quite another story.) So, her right-hand side is Mark, all macho plaid shirt, cargo pants, short-ish 'male' hair, and preposterous painted-on stubble; but when she turns about 180 degrees, she's Christina: long hair, regular make-up, a pink top, groovy jeans. It's a clownish trope as old as the hills, but make no mistake: as anyone who caught Palamides's previous, full-bore creations Laid (2017) or Nate (2018) would expect, the material is bracingly and brilliantly 21st-century. Going into the show, I'll admit I feared slightly that this performer who − be warned − loves to get the audience involved and thrives on the sense of a charged, intimate huddle, might be lost in the enormous space. But not a bit of it. A completely fearless atom-bomb of energy, she instantly fills the stage and auditorium alike with muscular misrule, and simply does not let up. Roughly 80 minutes straight through, the show often uses surprise as a (very effective) weapon, so let's not go into too many particulars. But Palamides's mickey-taking of specific 1990s films and general filmic tropes is as marvellous as her casual, almost aggressive disregard for her props, and my, what an inspired and inventive physical comedian she is. She frequently turns on a sixpence to give us both characters' actions as good as simultaneously, a trick that works as perfectly in the moments off near-death melodrama as it does in the shamelessly funny, insouciantly semi-naked bedroom scenes. You can't help feeling that this 'Zone 3', comedy-focused theatre has got its work cut out for it in terms of consistently putting bums on seats, especially given the fact that very few of the names on its extensive programme qualify as 'household'. But after an opening gambit as strong as this, how not to wish it well? At the curtain call, the still bare-breasted Palamides said how marvellous it was that 'small comedians' like her could experience being in a room like this. Amen to that, even if something tells me the astonishing Ms P, 5ft 1in though she is, won't be a 'small comedian' for very much longer.
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Ullapool helps me recover from life in rock band James'
As a band they have partied through Madchester, experienced Britpop and watched streaming take over the music indie pop veterans James might never have made it that far without a supply of Scottish band's bassist Jim Glennie believes the group were encouraged to keep going in their early years because gigs in Scotland were so Jim, the group's only remaining original member, has another reason to feel fond of Scotland - as he has spent the past 25 years living in Ullapool, a place that provides a relaxing contrast to life on the road. "Outside of Manchester there's no place that's been as devoted to us as Scotland", reflects Jim."In the early days, when no-one was interested, it was amazing to come to play shows in Scotland and to have a boost of 'we must be doing something right, loads of people are coming to shows here and loving it!'"That fuelled us – Manchester and Scotland gave us a feeling we were doing the right thing so we should keep on going. "It was a long period to reach Sit Down [the band's No 2 hit in 1991], and there were a lot of conversations before then about whether to keep going and whether we were making progress." The band did keep on going, from early days that featured constant line-up changes and record label fallings-out to a 90s packed full of hits. After breaking up in 2002 and reforming five years later, the group have enjoyed a prolific second life, releasing several albums and last year enjoying their first ever chart-topper with their 18th record, Yummy."I was surprised how much it meant to me," says Jim. "I've got used to giving my runners-up speech over the years, I think we've had three, number three albums and four number two albums so getting to number one was a complete shock, a ridiculously pleasant surprise."It was a real joy to think that there are people we are still connecting with." Jim has had a long connection with Ullapool, starting when he visited the area on holiday with his the turn of the millennium he found himself the last James member still living in Manchester, and wondered about moving to Scotland for a spell. And 25 years later, he's still here."I love it as a contrast to the bonkers world of James. Often I'll travel from Inverness, and coming back into the airport after a tour feels like the weight coming off my shoulders."The drive to Ullapool is stunning and it's like therapy to me, like someone giving me a massage for half an hour. "Everything else just dissolves into unimportance at that point and a big smile comes on my face. It feeds both my physical and mental health." Despite the full-on nature of life in James, the group's desire to keep making new music is as strong as on a new album is already under way and Jim believes it's crucial the band stays fresh, rather than just relying on old familiar hits like Laid and Say Something."It's that buzz of going into a room and creating something from nothing and getting all excited about taking it into the big bad world", he says. "We want to keep being relevant and keep challenging ourselves. We also always want to change from album to album, so that's not the easiest path through the industry – but it's why we're still here. "You have to do what you need to do to survive and make this work. If you get dragged along by doing exactly what the industry wants then you'll just be destroyed."The band veered close to destruction on several occasions, including discovering they owed hundreds of thousands of unpaid tax in the mid-90s, and a period when Jim says "relationships were getting messed up"."We were being childish and silly and selfish, and were very close to messing the whole thing up," he recalls. "It's ridiculous when it's the best job on the planet pretty much, and to blow it through being childish is really shooting yourself in the foot. But good gigs remind you there is still something worth fighting for." Next on the group's gigging list is the Pavilion festival in Ayr - the event curated by local DJ Ewan McVivar that's now in its third it comes at a difficult time for festivals in general, as the music industry still recovers from a turbulent few years. "The industry's been battered with Covid and Brexit. There's huge pressure on festivals and people don't have an endless supply of money now. "There's so much uncertainty, which is a shame, because people need an uplift in their life, the collective joy they get from something like a festival or a football match. That shared experience can be something that's so euphoric." Give people hope For Jim, the creative arts need support from governments, to ensure that people can get involved - whether it's music, theatre or dance."It's a way out of people's problems and issues, and it can give them hope," he argues. "It can give a voice to people from disadvantaged backgrounds and right across the board, there is no support given to that. "There seems to be no recognition of the importance in that to society. Helping kids into music seems a no brainer to me and it seems to be ignored by government after government."Jim knows of what he speaks - last year he found himself onstage at Greece's legendary Acropolis theatre, performing a special James gig with a orchestra and gospel choir."We'd been trying for years as they only give so many permits a year. It was so hot they closed it three days later - but it was amazing to do, a real pinch me moment. I fancy the pyramids next."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Laid' review: Oscar-nominated actor Stephanie Hsu, 'Girls' alum Zosia Mamet lead binge-worthy dark comedy
Starring Oscar-nominated Everything Everywhere All at Once actor Stephanie Hsu, and Girls alum Zosia Mamet, Laid is a binge-worthy new comedy (premiering March 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on W Network and StackTV in Canada). Created by Nahnatchka Khan and Sally Bradford McKenna, who previously crafted Don't Trust the B— in Apartment 23, a dark premise leads to a lot of hilarity for Ruby (Hsu), a 33-year-old party planner. The show is an adaptation of the Australian series of the same name, but really leans into the elements of Ruby's flaws and awkwardness. And keep your eyes peeled for a number of impressive guest stars, including Finneas O'Connell and Canadian Simu Liu. Ruby is having a rough time coming to terms with the fact that her love life hasn't worked out as she anticipated, and she is still very single. But she's left trying to navigate particularly odd circumstances. Her former lovers start dying, in the exact order in which she dated, or hooked up with them. With her best friend and true crime lover, AJ, (Mamet) by her side, the pair have to run through Ruby's hook-up history, attempting to save her ex-lovers from their deadly future. It adds a new, grim flavour to the term "body count." In the midst of this, Rudy finds herself in a love triangle with Isaac (Tommy Martinez), who hired her to plan a party for his parents' anniversary, while also reconnecting with a partner from her past, Richie (Michael Angarano). Firstly, Hsu is a phenomenal lead for this comedic story. She expertly navigates the show's irony, sarcastic wit and dark humour. Paired with Mamet, it's an appealing duo for this story, particularly one that is set within an incredibly dreary premise. But Mamet and Hsu certainly keep the laughs coming. Filled with very specific pop culture references, which we appreciate, the show's creators Sally Bradford and Nahnatchka Khan handle the balancing act of grim outcomes and funny sex jokes with ease. At times Laid feels a bit too rushed, like we could have taken more time to dive deeper into Ruby's perspective. But there's something endearing about a show that puts an incredibly real and flawed woman at the centre of its story. And it's not just about her relationships with men, but that's used as a means to reflect on herself personally, and how self-involved she has been at times. Laid is a show screaming to be binged, because it is hysterical, but has that pulsating emotional undercurrent. And it is crafted in a way that makes it easy to watch, and keep watching — yes, even with all the death. I finished the show curious about how much more we could explore with these characters, if Laid is given more episodes.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
W NETWORK DEBUTS ITS SPRING SCHEDULE WITH THIS SEASON'S FRESHEST PICKS
New Series Include Peacock Comedy Laid, Sky Original Series Small Town, Big Story, Plus Hallmark Channel's The Chicken Sisters and Small Town Setup This Spring Will Also See the Season Finales of The Way Home, Season 3 and Based on a True Story, Season 2 Stream W Network on STACKTV For additional photography and press kit material visit: To share this release socially visit: TORONTO, March 10, 2025 /CNW/ - This spring, W Network, a Corus Entertainment top 10 specialty network*, is blooming with freshly picked new series featuring star-studded performances, humour and heart. This season, W Network ushers in new comedies such as Laid and Small Town, Big Story as well as Hallmark's family drama The Chicken Sisters and Hallmark's unscripted series Small Town Setup. All series are available to stream on STACKTV. First to spring onto the schedule is Peacock's twisted romantic comedy, Laid, starring Academy Award®-nominee Stephanie Hsu and Zosia Mamet. Premiering on Monday, March 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, a woman (Hsu) finds out her former lovers are dying in unusual ways and must go back through her sex timeline to confront her past in order to move forward. Laid is a dark rom-com where the answer to "why can't I find love, is there something wrong with me?" is a resounding "Yes. There is. The problem is definitely you." Up next is the dramatic comedy Small Town, Big Story premiering Thursday, March 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Created and directed by Emmy® Award winner Chris O'Dowd (Moone Boy), the series stars Emmy® nominee Christina Hendricks (Good Girls, Mad Men) and BAFTA award-winner Paddy Considine (House of the Dragon, The World's End), and looks at the untold chaos caused when a big budget Hollywood production rolls into a small, rural Irish town. Wendy Patterson (Hendricks) is a local girl who found success as a TV producer in Los Angeles, returns to her hometown in Ireland after over 20 years, having left under something of a cloud. Back in the chaotic microcosm of Drumbán, this time with a film crew in tow, Wendy is caught in between her past and her epic new production. Séamus Proctor (Considine) is the local doctor and pillar of the community. He has a neat and well-ordered life, or at least he thinks he does. Soon, he will find himself in the eye of a storm as a celluloid circus descends on the town, threatening to shine a spotlight on a secret he's been harbouring for ages. On Sunday, March 30 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, W Network serves up new Hallmark series, The Chicken Sisters, based on the New York Times bestseller and Reese's Book Club selection of the same name by KJ Dell'Antonia. Created for television and executive produced by Annie Mebane (Shrinking, Atypical, The Goldbergs), the eight-episode series is a family drama dipped in southern charm and served up with a saucy side of romance. The setting is the fictional town of Merinac, where a generations-old rift between dueling fried chicken restaurants – Mimi's and Frannie's – has left the founders' families fractured and the locals taking sides. When the popular cooking competition show Ultimate Kitchen Clash comes to town, it could be the recipe for ending this feud once and for all. But things are fixing to heat up both inside and outside of the kitchen as the reality show spotlight causes sparks to fly as secrets are spilled and feathers get ruffled. The series boasts an impressive cast, including Schuyler Fisk (Sam & Kate), Genevieve Angelson (The Handmaid's Tale), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future) and Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me!) as the women at the heart of the restaurant rivalry. James Kot (Virgin River), Rukiya Bernard (Yellowjackets), Ektor Rivera (Groundswell) and Jake Foy (Ride) round out the supporting cast. Emmy® Award-winning actress Margo Martindale (Justified) lends her voice as the nearly omniscient narrator, who serves up history and offers country fried context the way only the best town gossip can. Following the premiere of The Chicken Sisters on March 30, Small Town Setup debuting at 9 p.m. ET/PT, explores the unique charm of small-town America and its welcoming community in this heartwarming unscripted, romantic comedy docu-style dating series, hosted by Ashley Williams. In each episode, viewers meet different hometown parents with a big problem – their successful adult child is living far away in a big city – and is still single. The couple gathers their neighbours and asks for help to find a match for them to go out with. Now, the entire community is on the hunt to find the best three daters for the "city single" to go on dates with, in the hope that they will fall in love, move back home and live happily ever after. This spring will also see the Season 3 finale of the multi-generational family drama and top 5 specialty entertainment program** The Way Home on Sunday, March 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and the Season 2 finale of the dark comedic thriller Based on a True Story on Monday, March 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. W Network can be streamed via STACKTV, available on Amazon Prime Video Channels, Bell Fibe TV app, Fubo, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming. The network is also available through all major TV distributors, including: Shaw, Shaw Direct, Rogers, Bell, Videotron, Telus, Cogeco, Eastlink and SaskTel. *Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, FL'24 (Aug 26 – Dec29/24), SP'25 STD (Dec 30/24 – Feb 9/25) confirmed to Feb 2/25, A25-54, AMA(000), CDN SPEC COM ENG, M-Su 2a-2a**Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, SP'24 (Jan 1 – May 26/24), 3+ airings, SP'25 STD (Dec 30/24 – Feb 9/25) 2+ airings, confirmed to Feb 2/25, CDN SPEC COM ENG excluding sports SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Follow W Network on Facebook, InstagramFollow STACKTV on Instagram @stacktv W Network is a Corus Entertainment Network. About Corus Entertainment Inc. Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. Engaging audiences since 1999, the company's portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 30 specialty television services, 37 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, digital and streaming platforms, and social digital agency and media services. Corus' roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, Flavour Network, Home Network, The HISTORY® Channel, Showcase, Adult Swim, National Geographic and Global News, along with streaming platforms STACKTV, TELETOON+, the Global TV App and Curiouscast. Corus is also the domestic advertising representative and an original content partner for Pluto TV, a Paramount Company, which is the leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service. Corus is an internationally-renowned content creator, producer and distributor through Corus Studios and Nelvana. For more information visit SOURCE Corus Entertainment Inc. View original content:
