Apologies to those of you who don’t watch or don’t care about Game of Thrones, but let me just tell you, it’s going to be all Game of Thrones pretty much all the time around these parts for at least the next couple weeks, maybe the next couple of months.
Sky Atlantic released a bunch of new photos from the upcoming season:
The final throne has been revealed and is waiting to be claimed.
UPDATE: Aaaaand it’s already been found, in New York City of all places:
Five other thrones have already been found:
(And can I just say that I love that most of the thrones have been found by women?)
The good news is they are still giving away an $18,000 Iron Throne replica to one lucky AT&T customer, so you still have a chance to own an impractically huge prop.
Kristofer Hivju — our beloved Tormund — talks about his return to the series in an Entertainment Weekly interview. He also waxes particularly philosophic about the end of the show:
“Every seventh year there isn’t a cell in your body that hasn’t changed,” said Hivju. “Even your bones. Your new cells learned what your old cells knew. And you have your soul. This flesh is not the same as what was sitting here seven years ago. Everything has an end. Everybody is exhausted and nobody is tired. It’s a long, intense journey, and extremely satisfying; it’s so seldom to have this positive drive through every season, from your first day to your last day. Everybody wants to up their game and make it even better. We feel like we’re always competing with ourselves. So it’s satisfying to end it and we’re ending it when everybody still loves being here.”
Emilia Clarke and Nathalie Emmanuel are going to be here in Houston for Comicpalooza. The convention will be held May 10-12.
AT&T will host an event in their Boston store where Game of Thrones fans can enter for a chance to be driven to New York City for the premiere in what they are calling the “dragon wagon” but is really just a bus. There will also be an Iron Throne in the store for selfies and whatnot.
AT&T is also hosting “The Dead Must Die: A Magic Leap Encounter, a mixed reality experience that allows fans to step into the world of Westeros like never before” in three of their stores in Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. WHY DOES BOSTON GET ALL THE STUFF?
In the VR experience, you confront a White Walker and the Army of the Dead, or something … but here’s what my broken brain sees when I read this: Jon Snow is going to die this season. Jon Snow was brought back from the dead + “The Dead Must Die” = Jon Snow Must Die. (And I suspect I kinda know how it will happen, but I have the intention to write something about this before the season begins, say tuned.)
In non-Game of Thrones news
President CooCoo spent the morning tweeting again. He yelled at Adam Schiff and OPEC and Mexico and clouds, but for our purposes, we’re going to look at his favorite target, the “FAKE NEWS MEDIA!”
Yes, he’s “learned to live” with the media, because the one thing Donald Junebug Trump is known for is just peaceably tolerating news stories he doesn’t like.
LOL, actually, Morning Joe just had their highest-rated quarter … ever.
He also had some feelings about the whole Jussie Smollet situation and he was NOT HAPPY:
Ok.
Speaking of Smollett, his legal team is yelling back at the cops and Mayor Emanuel for talking shit about him. Meanwhile, the Chicago cops just released a 61-page file on the investigation. The US Postal Inspection Service is still investigating the threat that was mailed to him, and if they find he sent it to himself, he could face 5-20 years in prison for that offense. Still, it looks like Empire is likely to be renewed, perhaps without Smollett despite his charges being dropped.
The single most terrifying thing that has happened so far this year — and from Toledo of all places:
Obviously this presidency informed Veep. How could it not?
“If you look back at the previous six seasons, so much of the show was, ‘Oh my God, this is what a politician is like behind closed doors’ — but those closed doors are gone,” he tells Variety. “So often, it was shocking how incompetent her staff is. Well, turn the TV on and you can see that. So much of the show was often her messing up and then paying a very public price for something, and I’m not sure that exists either anymore. So a lot of our bread and butter, if you will, changed.”
A former writer on The Newsroom is suing the CAA agency for stealing his pilot for a political drama, called Main Justice, and selling it to CBS as a different writer’s work. This comes as the Writers Guild of America is in a tense negotiation with agencies over how they package shows (it’s really technical, but if you’re interested, there’s tons about it on Deadline.com and Variety.com), so I’m sure this will help calm everyone down. LOL JK.
CNN is publishing a book tribute to Anthony Bourdain.
Here’s a guide to the streaming services out there and which might be the right fit for you.
And they said your history degree wouldn’t get you anywhere.
The BAFTAs bent the rules for Killing Eve, which premiered here in the States first, rather than in the UK. SCANDALOUS!
Justice with Judge Jeanine is returning on Fox News on Saturday. Terrific. I’m sure she’s learned her lesson and won’t say anything dangerous or inflammatory or racist again.
Sex Monster News
One of R. Kelly’s accusers has come forward with her story and it’s horrible.
Renewals
- In Search Of has been renewed at History.
In Development
- Is there Still Sex in the City? is being developed into a TV series.
- The Tenderloin, a drama from Sylvester Stallone, is being developed by History.
- Love at First Song, a dating reality series, is being developed by John Legend and Simon Lythgoe.
- Salt-n-Pepa, a TV movie about the rap group, is coming to Lifetime.
- The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel is being developed at Lifetime.
- Betches and Woman World, two animated series, have been greenlit at Freeform.
- The UnXplained has been greenlit at History.
- Documentaries From Darkness to Light; Smart Justice: The Jayme Closs Case; and Hopelessly In Love have been ordered at Lifetime.
- Top Dog is being developed at A&E.
- Garth: The Road I’m On is being developed at A&E.
- Documentaries Washington and The Food That Built America are coming to History.
- Supernanny is being revived by Lifetime.
- Tina Fey is making a movie about Carol Burnett. Perfection.
Casting News
- Lily Rabe and Edgar Ramirez have joined the cast of The Undoing at HBO.
- Max Willems will star in the CBS pilot The Emperor of Malibu.
- Adhir Kalya is joining the cast of the CBS pilot To Whom It May Concern.
- Rowan Blanchard is joining the cast of Snowpiercer on TNT.
- Brenda Song will add her voice to the animated series Amphibia on Disney Channel.
Mark Your Calendars
- Game of Thrones: The Last Watch, a documentary about the series, will air on HBO on May 26, one week after the series finale airs.
- Twilight Zone debuts on April 1 on CBS All Access and I guess I’m going to finally subscribe, dammit.
- Killing Eve will return on BBC America on April 7.
- Animal Kingdom will return on TNT on May 28.
- Motherland: Fort Salem will debut on Freeform sometime later this year:
- You vs. Wild will debut on Netflix on April 10.
- Keeping Up with the Kardashians will return on E! on March 31.
- Shadowhunters‘ series finale will air on Freeform on May 6. It will be two and a half hours long.
- Good Trouble will return on Freeform on June 18.
- grown-ish will return on Freeform on June 5.
- Siren will return on Freeform on July 11.
- Knock Down the House will premiere on Netflix and in some theaters on May 1.
- Liberation Heroes: The Last Witnesses will air on Discovery on May 1.
- Texicans will debut on Bravo on May 7.
- Southern Charm will return on Bravo on May 15.
- Aerial Britain will debut on Smithsonian on April 28.
- State of the Union will debut on Sundance (and a bunch of other Sundance-related platforms) on May 6.
- Evel Live 2 will debut on History on July 7.
- Ryan’s Mystery Playdate will debut on Nickelodeon on April 19.
- The 2019 American Music Awards will air on ABC on November 24.
- Reminder: Sandra Oh is hosting Saturday Night Live this week:
Fox announced its season finale dates:
- Gotham‘s series finale will air on April 25.
- The Orville will air on April 25.
- The Resident will air on May 6.
- Empire will air on May 8.
- Star will air on May 8.
- Last Man Standing will air on May 10.
- The Cool Kids will air on May 10.
- Proven Innocent will air on May 10.
- The Simpsons will air on May 12.
- Bob’s Burgers will air on May 12.
- Family Guy will air on May 12.
- 9-1-1 will air on May 13.
- Mental Samurai will air on May 21.
- MasterChef Junior will air on June 4.
R.I.P.
Ana Real, CBS News foreign news editor
WATCH THIS
Legacies: Hope tries to keep everyone safe in the first season finale. 8 p.m., The CW
Abby’s: This backyard bar sitcom (filmed, remarkably, outside in front of a live audience) has all the right genes: Natalie Morales leads a charming cast in a show created by a New Girl and Superstore producer and it is from Mike Schur’s production company. But the fact that NBC is premiering it in late March does not bode well for how NBC feels about its future. Keep your fingers crossed for this one. Series premiere. 8:30 p.m., NBC
Broad City: The groundbreaking comedy comes to an end. I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER, ABBI AND ILANA. Series finale. 9 p.m., Comedy Central
Late Night:
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: Colin Farrell, Marsai Martin, Billie Eilish
- The Daily Show: Lupita Nyong’o
- Watch What Happens Live: John McEnroe
| THUR | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Grey’s Anatomy (new) |
Station 19 (new) |
For the People (new) |
| CBS | NCAA Basketball Tournament (live) |
| CW | Supernatural (repeat) |
Legacies (new) |
News/Local |
| FOX | Gotham (repeat) |
The Orville (repeat) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Superstore (new) |
A.P. Bio (new) |
Will & Grace (new) |
Abby’s (new) |
Law & Order: SVU (new) |