Latest news with #LovecraftCountry
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Smoke' Review: Jurnee Smollett and Taron Egerton Lead Apple TV+'s Flawed but Fascinating Firefighting Mystery
I'm sure I have, at some point, referred to Jurnee Smollett as a 'fiery' actress. The Lovecraft Country and Friday Night Lights star does wild-eyed, fierce intensity in a way that is both captivating and reliable. But this is getting a bit ridiculous. More from The Hollywood Reporter Why Seth Rogen Wants Vin Diesel to Join 'The Studio' Season 2 As Shoppers Cut Back on Spending, Live TV Streaming Services Aim to Attract Subscribers with No-Contract Deals Laura Day Predicts the Future for A-List Stars and Fortune 500 Firms, Just Don't Call Her a Psychic Smollett got to stand just on the outside of the unconvincing climactic CGI fire in last year's otherwise exceptional feature, The Order. Before that, she acted opposite burning crosses (Lovecraft Country) and torches (Underground). Now she gets full inferno immersion in Apple TV+'s new drama series, Smoke, an extraordinarily well-acted, formally inconsistent adaptation of the podcast Firebug. At nine episodes, the Dennis Lehane-created show is too long and frustratingly repetitive, but it unfurls a fascinating mystery, features one of the summer's best ensemble casts and floats big ideas that don't always come through cleanly in the execution. Smollett plays Michelle Calderon, detective in a Pacific Northwest police force. Burnt (metaphorically, not literally) by a recently ended affair with her boss (Rafe Spall's Steven Burk), and still burnt (emotionally, not literally) by a fire started by her mother when she was a kid, Michelle is assigned to partner with arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton). Dave, a former firefighter, needs the help, because there are two serial arsonists — called the Divide & Conquer arsonist and the Milk Jug arsonist — active in the city, and his kindly boss, Greg Kinnear's Harvey Englehart, is getting impatient. Getting slowly impatient, mind you, because the D&C arsonist has apparently already set 200+ fires and irritation is only beginning to set in. Folks care a bit less about the Milk Jug arsonist, who has been preying on the city's lower-income neighborhood, though we're quickly introduced to a suspect: a sad-eyed, mumbly fast-food worker named Freddy (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine). Kept busy with the two arsonists, the new partner and a precarious marriage to Hannah Emily Anderson's Ashley, Dave does what any sensible person would do: He starts to write a book about an arson investigator with a new partner chasing a serial arsonist. Soon, both Dave and Michelle's obsessions escalate and games of cat-and-mouse ensue. It's a series packed with twists, including an initial reveal that's really the whole premise of the podcast and series. Chances are pretty good that you'll figure this twist out well before it's formally unveiled, at least an episode later than might have been ideal. There's a breathless later twist that isn't exactly 'guessable' and a key final twist that the series doesn't execute in visual terms as well as it should. Yes, I'm being vague here, but the truth is that Smoke works not because it's surprising, but because it's pleasurable watching these characters' respective wheels spin. Due to the presence of Lehane, Egerton and Kinnear, Smoke is likely to be compared to 2022's very solid limited series Black Bird, which won a well-deserved Emmy for Paul Walter Hauser. The Apple TV+ show that Smoke ultimately has more in common with is Alfonso Cuaron's Disclaimer, an exploration of what happens when we attempt to narrativize real life — and impose the binary of hero/villain onto complex human behavior — masquerading as a revenge drama. Smoke is all about definition and self-definition, which you'll probably figure out from the choice to begin each episode with the definition of various not-difficult-to define words like 'creativity,' which is 'bringing something into existence; producing through imaginative skill.' Michelle is being defined by outside factors, be it the criminal acts of her mother, the power of the man she's sleeping with, or — because of various bigots in her own profession — her race and gender. Dave doesn't even have those elements to define him. His backstory is seemingly sad, but vague. His achievements at his job are negligible, his success in marriage is limited. But as he attempts to write himself as the hero of his own story, he sees a path to glory or possibly notoriety. The hard-boiled narration from Dave's book — 'Fire doesn't give a fuck about your wallet or the size of your gun or the size of the dick you wish was the size of your gun.' — steers a story that consciously keeps viewers aware that it's… well… a story, at a fictional remove from a nonfiction podcast. Even its location is imaginary, an omnibus Pacific Northwest setting with Vancouver playing a state that's amalgamated as 'Orrington' on license plates and legal documents. 'Orrington,' a not-so-subtle portmanteau, is one of those Everyplace/No Place settings in the vein of whatever-sunless-locale-Seven-takes-place-in. Like several key details of Dave's character in particular, the location draws attention to the artificiality of the story being told, even as curious viewers can go online and find actual documentation of the podcast's real-life basis. The performances are split between naturalistic and attuned to heightened genre conventions. Egerton, for reasons that will quickly be obvious, has the most complicated task, swinging from grounded and good-natured to edgier oddness that has an unsettling resemblance to vintage Christian Slater. Dave never quite projects as an 'actual' person and this is a performance that could only work in a show with this sort of self-conscious approach. Here, it functions perfectly, especially opposite Smollett, who digs deep to find the pained center of a woman trying to reshape herself physically — especially in the first episode, she's putting in a lot of workout time — and professionally. Put Kinnear in the understated category, quietly heartbreaking as one of several men whose commitment to work has come at the expense of his ordinary humanity, while Spall aggressively swings between likably decent and repugnant, seemingly more for narrative than logical reasons. The cast gets a huge boost at midseason with the arrival of John Leguizamo, equally broadly funny and vulnerable as Dave's disgraced former partner, and Anna Chlumsky, hilariously scornful as a law enforcement outsider who gets brought into the story's chaos. Special praise is due to Mwine, who may give the show's best performance. There are aspects of Freddy's character — a victim of the foster system with a variety of unspecified social difficulties — that feel right on the verge of several stereotypes. But Mwine conveys a lost, angry and fundamentally lonely man so hauntingly that I frequently wished that Lehane and company gave him more to do. There are stretches, especially in the season's second half, where Smoke starts directly stating and then repeating its themes in ways that both spoil at least one twist and often made me wonder if those underlined points had actually been illustrated or justified by the show. Those were the moments that suggest Smoke might have been improved with a six-episode season, or nine episodes with less redundancy and more room to delve into this fictional city's economic inequalities and the challenges of modern firefighting. It's notable that even though I'm a resident of a Los Angeles still reeling from the city's January fires, up until the finale very little in Smoke made me reflect on those fires. That's further evidence of the show being at once real and yet insulated or isolated from reality. When you have a story this twisty, with dialogue as sturdy as Lehane tends to deliver and stars like the fiery Smollett, such limitations tend not to doom even an imperfect show. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Raphael Saadiq Expands ‘No Bandwidth' One-Man Show to 22-Date Fall Tour
Raphael Saadiq has announced the expansion of his one-man show 'No Bandwidth: One Man, One Night, Three Decades of Hits' to a 22-date tour kicking off this fall. The musician previously staged a smaller iteration of the show earlier this year, performing nights in Los Angeles, New York City and Oakland. Now, he's expanding the scope even further, beginning the run at Sacramento's Channel 24 on September 7. Over the next month, he'll make stops in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Chicago before rounding the bases in Nashville at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center on October 14. More from Variety Raphael Saadiq Announces 'No Bandwidth' Tour, Plots New Album and Documentary (EXCLUSIVE) Scores for 'Soul,' 'Lovecraft Country,' 'Last of Us II,' 'A Life on Our Planet' Win ASCAP Composers' Choice Awards Raphael Saadiq on Recreating Aretha Franklin's Classic Music for 'Genius': 'Aretha Was the LeBron James in the Room' 'I've always wanted to do a one-man show,' says Saadiq in a statement. 'I want to challenge myself. My one-person show has three acts; I will be talking about my career, bringing a couple of instruments to express myself, singing my original music as well as covers of songs I wish I had written, and more. I want it to feel magical and like a Broadway show.' Saadiq will also release the vinyl edition of his 2004 album 'Ray Ray' for fans who signed up for the Raphael Saadiq Vinyl Club. Members of the club have access to the Vault, which offers unreleased photos, behind-the-scenes videos and more. Earlier this year, Saadiq announced the first iteration of the 'No Bandwidth' tour with Variety, revealing that he's also working on a documentary about his career and the Tony! Toni! Toné! reunion tour that took place in 2023. 'It's the span of my career and it'll have the Tony's last tour. I took the phones so nobody really saw the tour,' he told Variety. 'We have so much footage. I collected all the footage already, everything's in one place. And I'm directing it, we just putting everything together. We started editing last week for the first time.' Check out the tour dates below: 9/7 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 249/8 – San Francisco, CA – Davies Symphony Hall9/10 – Los Angeles, CA – The Ford9/12 – Las Vegas, NV – Pearl Theater9/14 – Tucson, AZ – Fox Tucson Theatre9/16 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre9/19 – Dallas, TX – Majestic Theatre9/21 – Austin, TX – The Paramount Theatre9/22 – Sugar Land, TX – Smart Financial Center9/24 – Atlanta, GA – Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre9/25 – New Orleans, LA – Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts9/27 – Columbia, SC – The Township Auditorium9/28 – Durham, NC – DPAC – Durham Performing Arts Center9/30 – National Harbor, MD – MGM National Harbor10/2 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Hall at New Jersey Performing Arts Center10/4 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre10/7 – Pittsburgh, PA – Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland10/8 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre10/10 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre10/11 – Detroit, MI – Detroit Opera House10/13 – Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace10/14 – Nashville, TN – Schermerhorn Symphony Center – Laura Turner Concert Hall Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Black America Web
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
The Residence Canceled by Netflix—And It's Not the Only Black-Led Show Cut Too Soon
Netflix has canceled The Residence after just one season, despite major buzz and Shonda Rhimes' name behind it. The murder mystery series, set inside the White House and starring Uzo Aduba, blended political drama with elite scandal—but it didn't survive Netflix's ruthless renewal formula. Its cancellation sparked backlash online, especially as The Residence featured a Black woman lead and leaned into smart, original storytelling. Many fans felt the show never had a real shot to find its audience. Sadly, this isn't new. Black-led and Black-created series have a history of short runs, even when reviews are strong and social engagement is high. From genre-defying dramas to laugh-out-loud comedies, many promising shows have been pulled before their time. Now, viewers are asking why stories that center Black experiences often face the quickest cuts. Here are 15 more Black-led or Black-created shows that were canceled far too soon. The Residence Canceled by Netflix—And It's Not the Only Black-Led Show Cut Too Soon was originally published on 1. The Residence (Netflix, 2025) Shondaland's White House whodunnit starring Uzo Aduba was canceled after one season despite strong ratings and high production costs. 2. Lovecraft Country (HBO, 2020) Misha Green's genre-bending horror series mixed supernatural terror and racism before ending in just one season. 3. The Get Down (Netflix, 2016–17) Baz Luhrmann's musical homage to 1970s NYC hip-hop earned acclaim but was axed early due to budget concerns. 4. Rap Sh!t (HBO Max, 2022) Issa Rae's musical comedy got cultural buzz—and cancellation—after a single season. 5. The Porter (CBC/BET+, 2022) A well-received Canadian drama about Black railway workers ended too soon despite award nominations. 6. Survival of the Thickest (Netflix, 2023) A bold, body-positive comedy-drama starring Danielle Macdonald, canceled after one season despite a loyal fanbase and critical praise. 7. Our Kind of People (Fox, 2021) Lee Daniels's insider drama spotlighting Black elites ended after one season on network TV. 8. Kindred (FX, 2022) A sci-fi adaptation of Octavia Butler's novel received praise but saw only one season. 9. The Other Black Girl (Hulu, 2023) A high-profile Onyx Collective adaptation pulled after its debut season. 10. Rebel (BET, 2017) John Singleton–backed police drama ended abruptly after nine episodes. 11. Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show (Netflix, 2020) All-Black sketch comedy ended after one run. 12. Riches (Amazon Prime, 2022) A British family drama focusing on Black wealth ended after one season. 13. Kaos (Netflix, 2024) A Greek-mythology satire starring Jeff Goldblum ended early despite praise. 14. #blackAF (Netflix, 2020) Kenya Barris comedy renewed then reversed, canceled after its first season. 15. Black Cake (own production, 2025) Beautifully detailed cultural drama that fans loved but saw no follow-up. 16. How to Die Alone (Hulu, 2025) The genre-bending dramedy sparked social buzz but ended after season one. 17. Three Little Birds (ITV, 2023) Lenny Henry's Windrush-era drama earned praise before its first season ended. 18. Honorable Mention: Girlfriends (8 seasons) A trailblazing comedy-drama about four Black women navigating friendship and careers, lasting a strong eight seasons. 19. Honorable Mention: Living Single (5 seasons) Popular sitcom highlighting the lives of six friends in Brooklyn, celebrated for five successful seasons and cultural impact. 20. Honorable Mention: Martin (5 seasons) Iconic '90s comedy starring Martin Lawrence that ran five seasons and helped define Black sitcoms of its era.
Perth Now
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Keke Palmer addresses Jonathan Majors podcast axe
Keke Palmer's interview with Jonathan Majors was axed because it was deemed "insensitive". The 31-year-old actress had recorded an episode of her Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast with the Magazine Dreams actor to be broadcast in April, but it was pulled following a backlash after Jonathan was found guilty of two misdemeanour counts of harassing and assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. While Keke felt it was important to "have the conversation" with Jonathan, her team ultimately felt it was inappropriate to broadcast the interview. She told The Breakfast Club: 'When I'm doing my hosting, I'm here to be unbiased. Everybody that sits in your chair, you don't agree with everything they did, you don't love everything, but you gotta have the conversation. 'You have to set the stage for them to speak and for people to watch and take what they wanna take from it, so that's why I was open and excited to do the interview. "Ultimately, with my partners, it was just decided — they saw the reaction that people felt it was insensitive, that maybe we shouldn't put it out.' The One of Them Days actress pondered that "maybe one day we get a chance" to release the interview. She added: 'It's always there, if people wanted to see it. But I always wanna be respectful and understand where everybody's coming from. If they're not going to feel like they're going to receive anything good from the interview, then okay, cool." And Keke felt the backlash she faced for giving the Lovecraft Country star a platform was unfair. She said: 'I mean, people sit down with serial killers. I'm not comparing him to a serial killer, but at the end of the day, I felt like, as a journalist, I'm supposed to talk and we're supposed to hear and let the public decide how they want to feel. But that didn't get a chance to happen.' The Nope star wishes Jonathan and his wife Meagan Good "all the best". She added: 'I really wanna say that because I don't judge nobody 'cause I don't want to be judged. So at the end of the day, I'm happy for Meagan. I'm happy for them.'
Irish Independent
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘Smoke' review: This slow-burner is just another cop show – until it suddenly isn't
In the case of nine-part miniseries Smoke (Apple TV+, streaming from Friday, June 27), that temptation is strong. It's a slow-burner, at least initially, that sometimes seems to be testing the audience's tolerance for well-worn genre clichés. It gives us not one, but two troubled protagonists weighed down by hefty personal baggage, as well as a voiceover so cheesy you could serve it on a cracker. Mind you, this turns out to be bits of a novel one of them is trying to write, so the badness is deliberate and fulfils a deeper purpose. If you feel the urge to bail out early, resist it, otherwise you might be missing out on something very special. I say 'might' because all I've watched are the first two episodes, but they end up packing the kind of unexpected wallop that leaves you craving more (binge addicts will have to wait for the rest to drop weekly). Smoke comes with a glittering pedigree. Creator Dennis Lehane, who wrote or co-wrote half the episodes, reunites with Taron Egerton, the star of his earlier Apple triumph, the brilliant miniseries Black Bird. Egerton's co-star is Jurnee Smollett, who was terrific in the regrettably short-lived Lovecraft Country. The support cast includes Rafe Spall and two great old pros whose presence is always welcome: Greg Kinnear and John Leguizamo. Egerton plays Dave Gudsen, a firefighter who became an arson investigator after a terrifying brush with death in a blazing building Egerton plays Dave Gudsen, a firefighter who became an arson investigator after a terrifying brush with death in a blazing building. He's haunted by nightmares about the experience, yet retains an outwardly cheery demeanour for his wife Ashley (Hannah Emily Anderson) and her son Emmett (Luke Roessler) from her previous marriage. Not that the boy cares much. He resents Gudsen's presence and rebuffs his attempts at bonding. Has he seen a side of his apparently amiable stepfather that nobody else has? Gudsen is chasing two unrelated serial arsonists who are lighting fires around the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Umberland. One of them lights milk jugs full of accelerant on the porches of innocent, unsuspecting people late at night. ADVERTISEMENT The other brazenly lights fires in grocery stores while they're still open, always placing the incendiary device among the potato chips. Maybe salty snacks burn faster. The speed at which the fires spread is properly terrifying, and the depiction of the horrific burns the victims suffer is definitely not for the squeamish. After months of dead ends, emotionally closed-off detective and former Marine, Michelle Calderone (Smollett), is brought on board, reluctantly, to assist with the investigation. Her reluctance might stem from the fact that she, too, as shown in fleeting flashbacks, had a bad experience with fire as a child. For reasons not yet clear, Calderone's career has stalled, so she desperately needs the shot at redemption her temporary partnership with Gudsen offers. After an initial wariness of one another, the two begin to forge a good working relationship. Lehane tips his hand early on by revealing the identity of one of the arsonists Lehane tips his hand early on by revealing the identity of one of the arsonists. The milk jug man is a middle-aged African-American called Freddy Fasano (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine). Freddy, who's almost paralysingly shy and speaks in a barely audible mumble, works as a cook at a fast-food chicken joint. It's an extraordinary performance by Mwine, who has you sympathising with Freddy one moment, then unnerved by the euphoric joy he takes from watching a fire raging through the house of a young couple with a baby. Meanwhile, Gudsen and Calderone suspect the other arsonist could be an arrogant firefighter called Stanton (David James Lewis), who always seemed to be absent for work on the dates the grocery store fires were lit. Just as it seems ready to settle into a standard cat-and-mouse thriller, Smoke executes a humdinger of a handbrake turn in the final scene that changes everything we've seen up to that point. A word of warning: Smoke is inspired by a true crime podcast called Firebug (which was the drama's working title). If you don't want the surprise ruined, don't even look it up. Rating: Four stars
