LA Screenings: Hot Picks to Keep on the Radar
'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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San Francisco Chronicle
35 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Appeals court keeps order blocking Trump administration from indiscriminate immigration sweeps
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Friday night to uphold a lower court's temporary order blocking the Trump administration from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in Southern California. A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing Monday afternoon at which the federal government asked the court to overturn a temporary restraining order issued July 12 by Judge Maame E. Frimpong, arguing it hindered their enforcement of immigration law. Immigrant advocacy groups filed suit last month accusing President Donald Trump's administration of systematically targeting brown-skinned people in Southern California during the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. The lawsuit included three detained immigrants and two U.S. citizens as plaintiffs. In her order, Frimpong said there was a 'mountain of evidence' that federal immigration enforcement tactics were violating the Constitution. She wrote the government cannot use factors such as apparent race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish or English with an accent, presence at a location such as a tow yard or car wash, or someone's occupation as the only basis for reasonable suspicion to detain someone. The Los Angeles region has been a battleground with the Trump administration over its aggressive immigration strategy that spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guards and Marines for several weeks. Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status to be in the U.S. from Home Depots, car washes, bus stops, and farms, many who have lived in the country for decades. Among the plaintiffs is Los Angeles resident Brian Gavidia, who was shown in a video taken by a friend June 13 being seized by federal agents as he yells, 'I was born here in the states, East LA bro!' They want to 'send us back to a world where a U.S. citizen ... can be grabbed, slammed against a fence and have his phone and ID taken from him just because he was working at a tow yard in a Latino neighborhood,' American Civil Liberties Union attorney Mohammad Tajsar told the court. The federal government argued that it hadn't been given enough time to collect and present evidence in the lawsuit, given that it was filed shortly before the July 4 holiday and a hearing was held the following week. 'It's a very serious thing to say that multiple federal government agencies have a policy of violating the Constitution,' attorney Jacob Roth said. He also argued that the lower court's order was too broad, and that immigrant advocates did not present enough evidence to prove that the government had an official policy of stopping people without reasonable suspicion. He referred to the four factors of race, language, presence at a location, and occupation that were listed in the temporary restraining order, saying the court should not be able to ban the government from using them at all. He also argued that the order was unclear on what exactly is permissible under law. 'Legally, I think it's appropriate to use the factors for reasonable suspicion,' Roth said The judges sharply questioned the government over their arguments. 'No one has suggested that you cannot consider these factors at all,' Judge Jennifer Sung said. However, those factors alone only form a 'broad profile' and don't satisfy the reasonable suspicion standard to stop someone, she said. Sung, a Biden appointee, said that in an area like Los Angeles, where Latinos make up as much as half the population, those factors 'cannot possibly weed out those who have undocumented status and those who have documented legal status.'
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Appeals court keeps order blocking Trump administration from indiscriminate immigration sweeps
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Friday night to uphold a lower court's temporary order blocking the Trump administration from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in Southern California. A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing Monday afternoon at which the federal government asked the court to overturn a temporary restraining order issued July 12 by Judge Maame E. Frimpong, arguing it hindered their enforcement of immigration law. Immigrant advocacy groups filed suit last month accusing President Donald Trump's administration of systematically targeting brown-skinned people in Southern California during the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. The lawsuit included three detained immigrants and two U.S. citizens as plaintiffs. In her order, Frimpong said there was a 'mountain of evidence' that federal immigration enforcement tactics were violating the Constitution. She wrote the government cannot use factors such as apparent race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish or English with an accent, presence at a location such as a tow yard or car wash, or someone's occupation as the only basis for reasonable suspicion to detain someone. The Los Angeles region has been a battleground with the Trump administration over its aggressive immigration strategy that spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guards and Marines for several weeks. Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status to be in the U.S. from Home Depots, car washes, bus stops, and farms , many who have lived in the country for decades. Among the plaintiffs is Los Angeles resident Brian Gavidia, who was shown in a video taken by a friend June 13 being seized by federal agents as he yells, 'I was born here in the states, East LA bro!' They want to 'send us back to a world where a U.S. citizen ... can be grabbed, slammed against a fence and have his phone and ID taken from him just because he was working at a tow yard in a Latino neighborhood,' American Civil Liberties Union attorney Mohammad Tajsar told the court. The federal government argued that it hadn't been given enough time to collect and present evidence in the lawsuit, given that it was filed shortly before the July 4 holiday and a hearing was held the following week. 'It's a very serious thing to say that multiple federal government agencies have a policy of violating the Constitution,' attorney Jacob Roth said. He also argued that the lower court's order was too broad, and that immigrant advocates did not present enough evidence to prove that the government had an official policy of stopping people without reasonable suspicion. He referred to the four factors of race, language, presence at a location, and occupation that were listed in the temporary restraining order, saying the court should not be able to ban the government from using them at all. He also argued that the order was unclear on what exactly is permissible under law. 'Legally, I think it's appropriate to use the factors for reasonable suspicion,' Roth said The judges sharply questioned the government over their arguments. 'No one has suggested that you cannot consider these factors at all,' Judge Jennifer Sung said. However, those factors alone only form a 'broad profile' and don't satisfy the reasonable suspicion standard to stop someone, she said. Sung, a Biden appointee, said that in an area like Los Angeles, where Latinos make up as much as half the population, those factors 'cannot possibly weed out those who have undocumented status and those who have documented legal status.' She also asked: 'What is the harm to being told not to do something that you claim you're already not doing?' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
Appeals court keeps in place restrictions on immigration stops in L.A. based on language and job
LOS ANGELES — An appeals court on Friday kept in place a Los Angeles federal judge's ruling that bars immigration agents from using a person's spoken language or job, like day laborer, as the sole pretext to detain people. The 9th U.S. Court of Appeals in its ruling said that there seemed to be one issue with U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong's temporary restraining order, but it did not overturn it as the government sought. The appeals court said that one part of the July 11 temporary restraining order did appear to be vague. "Defendants, however, are not likely to succeed on their remaining arguments," the court ruled, referring to the U.S. government. Frimpong, a judge at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, issued the temporary restraining order after a lawsuit was filed by people who claimed they were detained by immigration officers without good reason. Three people were waiting at a bus stop for jobs when they were detained by immigration officials, and two others are U.S. citizens who claim they were stopped and aggressively questioned despite telling agents they were citizens. Other organizations, including the United Farm Workers, also sued. Frimpong wrote in the temporary restraining order ruling that the people suing were 'likely to succeed in proving that the federal government is indeed conducting roving patrols without reasonable suspicion and denying access to lawyers.' The July 11 restraining order bars the detention of people unless the officer or agent 'has reasonable suspicion that the person to be stopped is within the United States in violation of U.S. immigration law.' It says they may not base that suspicion solely on a person's apparent race or ethnicity; the fact that they're speaking Spanish or English with an accent; their presence at a particular location like a bus stop or a day laborer pickup site; or the type of work one does. Los Angeles has been targeted by the Trump administration for immigration raids that the city's mayor has decried as a campaign to terrorize residents. The lawsuit that led to the temporary restraining order was filed against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and others. Kyle Harvick, the deputy incident commander for the government's immigration action in Los Angeles, said that "certain types of businesses, including carwashes" were chosen by immigration agents "because past experiences have demonstrated that illegal aliens utilize and seek work at these locations," according to the appeals court ruling. The appeals court found that "the four enumerated factors at issue — apparent race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent, particular location, and type of work, even when considered together — describe only a broad profile and 'do not demonstrate reasonable suspicion for any particular stop.'" The appeals court panel said that the government did not dispute constitutional issues when trying to get the temporary restraining order stayed. 'They did not meaningfully dispute the district court's conclusion that sole reliance on the four enumerated factors, alone or in combination, does not satisfy the constitutional requirement of reasonable suspicion,' the appeals court panel wrote. The appeals court did find that part of Frimpong's temporary order was vague, relating to "except as permitted by law" in the clause about detaining people based on the four factors of race, speaking Spanish, a location or type of work. But it otherwise denied the government's motion for a stay. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, called the appeals court ruling a victory. "Today is a victory for the rule of law and for the City of Los Angeles," she said in a statement."The Temporary Restraining Order that has been protecting our communities from immigration agents using racial profiling and other illegal tactics when conducting their cruel and aggressive enforcement raids and sweeps will remain in place for now." The immigration raids launched in Los Angeles in June resulted in large protests in the city, some of which turned violent. The Trump administration sent National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles in a move that was condemned by Bass, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and others.
