Happy Fourth of July weekend! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to sit inside my house for the next three days and watch videos of Burmese Mountain Dog puppies.
@sennenridge Morning sparring 🥊🥊 #sennenridge #ethicalbreeder #bernese #puppiesoftiktok #box #spar #morningroutine #rocky #stallone #fyp
♬ Rocky: Gonna Fly Now – Main Title Theme from Rocky – Best Movie Soundtracks
@sennenridge Tackling the pet door for first time #sennenridge #bernese #puppiesoftiktok #viral #fyp #petsafe #petsafebrand #puppyculture
@sennenridge I’m a master of the pet door now!!!! 💜 #sennenridge #ethicalbreeder #bernese #puppiesoftiktok #petsafebrand #nevergiveup #yougotthis #fyp
All Other TV News
Noah Hawley, the guy who gave us both Fargo and Legion, is working on an Alien series at FX, which I, for one, am very excited about. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hawley clarified that it will not be a “Ripley series” which, good, let the poor woman rest already. Instead, it sounds like it will be more about the corporation itself, and how it fails to contain the alien threat:
Is it part of the Ripley story, or will it be original characters in a different time and place?
It’s not a Ripley story. She’s one of the great characters of all time, and I think the story has been told pretty perfectly, and I don’t want to mess with it. It’s a story that’s set on Earth also. The alien stories are always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a space ship. I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit so that the stakes of “What happens if you can’t contain it?” are more immediate.
Deadly things that can’t be contained and the whole world at risk? Sounds relevant to the past year.
On some level it’s also a story about inequality. You know, one of the things that I love about the first movie is how ’70s a movie it is, and how it’s really this blue collar space-trucker world in which Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton are basically Waiting for Godot. They’re like Samuel Beckett characters, ordered to go to a place by a faceless nameless corporation. The second movie is such an ’80s movie, but it’s still about grunts. Paul Reiser is middle management at best. So, it is the story of the people you send to do the dirty work.
How does that relate to your series?
In mine, you’re also going to see the people who are sending them. So you will see what happens when the inequality we’re struggling with now isn’t resolved. If we as a society can’t figure out how to prop each other up and spread the wealth, then what’s going to happen to us? There’s that great Sigourney Weaver line to Paul Reiser where she says, “I don’t know which species is worse. At least they don’t fuck each other over for a percentage.”
Cue the “wokeness” outrage:
I’ve been saying for years that Wokeism is a parasite that fully infects the host and then eventually bursts forth like in the movie Alien.
The circle is now complete… pic.twitter.com/EVfWmOwzjX
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) July 2, 2021
They're ruining science fiction with wokeism by giving it allegorical stories and themes. Science fiction is supposed to be about good guys fighting bad aliens and that's it pic.twitter.com/KlNkeLxDan
— Wild Geerters (@classiclib3ral) July 2, 2021
Yep! The original movie about a bunch of space truckers who get screwed over by a major corporation in the name of profit, and whose the lone survivor is a woman, is succumbing to a brand new, completely unheard of until now “woke” agenda. Also, sci-fi movies are just about “good guys” and “bad aliens” and never have something metaphorical to say about society? I mean, give me a fucking break.
US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson will not be allowed to compete in the women’s 100-meter race at the Olympics after testing positive for THC. Richardson has taken responsibility for her actions, being a class act in the face of a COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS RULE. Marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug, for starters, and second of all — not that she has to explain why she partook of a drug that is completely legal in 18 states and legal in some form in 43 states — but she used pot when she found out from a reporter that her mother had just died. As frequent commenter Josh pointed out, if she had used alcohol or Xanax, she’d still be eligible to compete, so what’s the difference?
I am human
— Sha’Carri Richardson (@itskerrii) July 1, 2021
I mean, aside from the obvious, which brings me to the next dumb, racist Olympics story: swim caps designed for natural Black hair have been banned because the caps did not fit “the natural form of the head” and to their “best knowledge the athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require … caps of such size and configuration.” The caps do not give swimmers an advantage, they just allow Black swimmers to be more comfortable. But heaven forfend we do anything to allow THAT.
The diarrhea Slip ‘N’ Slide show won’t be debuting after the Olympics for some weird reason.
Boring white man says show will miss other boring white man who no one misses.
Denise Richards wants to return to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? WHY?
If The Mysterious Benedict Society receives more seasons, the show will have to diverge from the source material because kids have this pesky habit of growing up in real life. Call it the “Walt in Lost” problem.
Good news, freaks and/or geeks:
Big news! Freaks & Geeks is finally available for digital download! (Amazon, iTunes and Google) The complete series with all the original music intact! Take us everywhere you go! (Seriously, we’re indoor kids who need the exercise.)https://t.co/IfNdRZ07rP@paramountmovies pic.twitter.com/lNBIwDtJfT
— Samm Levine (@SammLevine) June 30, 2021
Wait, William Shatner has a show on RT? Why? And what? And why?
Congratulations, Gwen and Blake.
In the battle between Carlos Mencia and Joe Rogan, we all lose.
This isn’t TV-related, but this video of Dave Grohl explaining where the inspiration for his Nirvana drumbeats came from is DELIGHTFUL.
In Development
- ABC is passing on the pilots Triage; Dark Horse; and National Parks Investigation. However, Epic and Promised Land are still being considered.
Casting News
- Allison Tolman, Chris Bauer, J.C. MacKenzie, Hamish Linklater, and Chris Messina have joined the cast of Gaslit on Starz.
- William Fichtner is replacing Dennis Quaid on Joe Exotic at Peacock.
- Tim Guinee has joined the cast of The Staircase on HBO Max.
- Ewen Bremner, David Fane, Joel Fry, Guz Khan, and Matt Maher have joined the cast of Our Flag Means Death at HBO Max.
- Nadine Ellis is joining Our Kind of People on Fox.
- Madison Taylor Baez, Kevin Carroll, Jacob Buster, and Ian Foreman have been added to the cast of Let the Right One In on Showtime.
- Chandler Kinney and Maia Reficco will star in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin on HBO Max.
- Joel Kim Booster is joining the cast of the untitled Maya Rudolph comedy on Apple TV+.
- Charles Edwards, Will Fletcher, Amelie Child-Villiers, and Beau Cassidy have joined the cast of the Lord of the Rings series on Amazon.
- Jacki Weaver, Piper Perabo, Kathryn Kelly, and Finn Little have joined the cast of Yellowstone on Paramount.
- Logan Marshall-Green, Matt Craven, and Ridley Asha Bateman have joined the cast of Lou on Netflix.
- Costa Ronin has joined an untitled bank heist drama pilot at NBC.
Mark Your Calendar
- The Walking Dead will return on AMC on August 22.
- Tig Notaro: Drawn will premiere on HBO on July 24.
- Yellowstone will return on Paramount this fall.
- Gold Rush: Winter’s Fortune will premiere on Discovery on July 30.
- Here’s your “Shark Week” schedule.
WATCH THIS
FRIDAY
Fear Street: Based on the R.L. Stine novels set in the spooky town of Shadyside, this is the first of three movies that will roll out this month. Premiere. Netflix
The Boss Baby: Family Business: Exactly what you think this is. Premiere. Peacock
The Matrix marathon: I mean, the first one is great, right? 5 p.m., AMC
SATURDAY
Die Hard marathon: John McClane has some seriously bad luck with running into terrorists. 2 p.m., AMC
Let Him Go: Kevin Costner and Diane Lane star in this family drama about a pair of grandparents trying to save their grandson from a violent situation. 7 p.m., HBO
Carrie: Get the pig’s blood ready. 9:30 p.m., The Movie Channel
SUNDAY
We the People: This new series features songs by Janelle Monáe, H.E.R., Adam Lambert, Brandi Carlile teaching the basics of rights and citizenship. Kinda like a School House Rock for a whole new generation. Premiere. Netflix
Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular: Happy Fourth, everyone! 7 p.m., NBC
A Capitol Fourth: The fireworks will be live, but the performances, not so much. 7 p.m., PBS
The One and Only Dick Gregory: A look at the life of comedian and activist Dick Gregory. 8 p.m., Showtime
Toy Story marathon: In need of a good cry? The first three movies are here to take care of you. 3:15 p.m., Freeform
FRI. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
ABC | Emergency Call (new) |
20/20 |
CBS | Magnum P.I. (repeat) |
Blue Bloods (repeat) |
Blue Bloods (repeat) |
CW | Charmed (repeat) |
Dynasty (new) |
Local |
FOX | Friday Night Smackdown | Local |
NBC | Stanley Cup Finals (live) |
—
SAT. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | 11:00 | 11:30 |
ABC | America’s Funniest Home Videos (repeat) |
Shark Tank (repeat) |
The Good Doctor (repeat) |
News/Local |
CBS | The Camping World SRX Series (repeat) |
48 Hours | News/Local |
FOX | MLB Baseball (live) |
News/Local |
NBC | America’s Got Talent (repeat) |
Dateline Saturday Night Mystery (repeat) |
News/ Local |
Saturday Night Live (XXX) |
—
SUN. | 6:00 | 6:30 | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
ABC | America’s Funniest Home Videos (repeat) |
Celebrity Family Feud (repeat) |
The Chase (repeat) |
To Tell the Truth (repeat) |
CBS | 60 Minutes | The Equalizer (repeat) |
NCIS: Los Angeles (repeat) |
NCIS: New Orleans (repeat) |
The CW | Local | DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (repeat) |
Penn & Teller: Fool Us (repeat) |
Local |
FOX | Duncanville (repeat) |
Housebroken (repeat) |
The Simp-sons (repeat) |
The Great North (repeat) |
Bob’s Burgers (repeat) |
Family Guy (repeat) |
Local/News |
NBC | Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectaculars |