Latest news with #OnCall
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Casting News: Chicago Fire Adds On Call's Brandon Larracuente, Shane Gillis to Host ESPYS and More
Chicago Fire's newest recruit is no stranger to the Dick Wolf Universe. Fresh off Wolf's one-and-done Prime Video procedural On Call, Brandon Larracuente has joined the cast of the NBC firefighter drama as a series regular for Season 14, Variety reports. Character details are being kept under wraps. More from TVLine Chicago Fire EP Warns CFD Layoffs Will Cause 'A Lot of Turnover' Next Season: 'Everything's Going to Get Shaken Up' #OneChicago: Find Out Which Stars Are Set to Return This Fall — Plus, Fire, Med and P.D. Episode Counts Revealed Countdown Premiere Reveals 2 Heroes Are Ticking Clocks, as Well - 'I Want You on the Edge of Your Seat,' Says EP The addition of Larracuente follows the departures of series vets Jake Lockett (Sam Carver) and Daniel Kyri (Darren Ritter), who are not returning as series regulars this fall. In addition to his role as On Call officer Alex Diaz, Larracuente's previous credits include Dr. Danny Perez on ABC's The Good Doctor and Emilio Acosta on Freeform's short-lived Party of Five reboot. In other recent casting news… * Shane Gillis (Tires) has been tapped to host the 2025 ESPYS, airing live from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16 at 8/7c on ABC and ESPN+. * Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Surface) and Richard Madden (Bodyguard) will headline Netflix's Trinity, an eight-episode, high-stakes thriller in which the female second-in-command of a nuclear submarine realizes that the Secretary of Defense may be at the heart of a dangerous conspiracy. * Prime Video's Bloodaxe — an historical epic created by Michael and Horatio Hirst (Vikings) chronicling the rise of one of history's most famous Norse raiders — has cast Xavier Molyneux (Neighbours) as Erik Bloodaxe and Jessica Madsen (Bridgerton) as his formidable wife, Gunnhild (aka the 'Mother of Kings'). Hit the comments with your thoughts on the castings above! Best of TVLine Stars Who Almost Played Other TV Roles — on Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, Lost, Gilmore Girls, Friends and Other Shows TV Stars Almost Cast in Other Roles Fall TV Preview: Who's In? Who's Out? Your Guide to Every Casting Move!
Daily Maverick
08-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
SA loses as its entrepreneurs move companies to Estonia
The Baltic country's e-Residency programme offers access to a highly efficient digital-first business environment with alluring prospects for local tech companies. Imagine being a very small country (a landmass about the size of Gauteng) with 1.3 million residents and a declining population rate, no significant natural resources except some shale gas, and a previously hostile neighbour in the form of the Soviet Union, which fell in 1991. That's Estonia, whose strategy to increase its tax base has involved establishing an e-residency programme to lure foreign businesses in return for exporting its world-leading digital government services. For a growing number of South African tech entrepreneurs, the key to unlocking global markets, EU-based investment and a bureaucracy-free future doesn't lie in Sandton or Stellenbosch – it's in Tallinn. Estonia's fabled e-Residency programme, once a curiosity for digital nomads and crypto-optimists, has found a surprising following in South Africa's start-up scene, and 436 of Mzansi's finest are already enrolled. But although the Baltic republic promises digital freedom and access to European capital, the decision to incorporate one's company offshore isn't as simple as clicking 'register' for the government's e-Residency programme. 'E-residency is just an access to our digital ecosystem,' says Katrin Vaga, a former journalist who heads PR for the programme. 'It's not tax residency, it's not a golden visa; it's not even about physically moving to Estonia. It simply gives entrepreneurs a secure way to operate in our digital-first business environment.' This digital infrastructure, built over two decades, allows foreign founders to register and run a European company entirely online – and in English. For software developers, marketing consultants and other knowledge workers, it's a frictionless gateway to EU business. 'It's a 15-minute process,' Vaga explains. 'From application to launching a company. It's all remote, all online, all verified with a secure digital ID.' One standout feature is Estonia's 0% corporate tax on reinvested profits. 'It's built for start-ups,' she says. 'If you're reinvesting into growth, you don't pay corporate tax until you distribute dividends.' Next stop, EU funding Access to European venture capital is the big draw. 'If you want to raise funding from European sources, it derisks the project to be based in the EU,' says Dr Armid Azadeh, founder of the Namibian medtech solution company OnCall. '[Venture capital funders] are more comfortable when the intellectual property is domiciled in a jurisdiction they understand and trust.' This isn't just about Estonia. It's about a broader initiative by African start-ups to move their intellectual property (IP) offshore to investor-friendly territories – from Mauritius to the Netherlands – so that global funders will take them seriously. Renier Kriel, founder of The Founder Collab and a stalwart of the local start-up scene, says all South African company founders who have to raise venture capital want to take their IP offshore because funders are typically 'not comfortable for IP to stay in South Africa'. The trend is driven less by tax arbitrage and more by South Africa's cumbersome exchange controls and employment legislation. 'Moving money out of South Africa is a major pain,' Kriel says. 'You need approval. It slows down everything.' Add to this labour regulations that, though protective of workers, can be punitive for start-ups. 'The cost of 'mishiring' is massive,' Kriel adds. 'We need specific reform for hi-tech or early-stage businesses. The current laws create less employment because of the cost of hiring.' The combination of local friction and global opportunity makes Estonia's promise deeply appealing. 'You get to tailor your lifestyle,' says one Estonian e-Resident entrepreneur quoted in Vaga's documentation. 'I pay more taxes than I maybe would have back home, but I have a bigger market and more business opportunity. And I save so much time that actually I still win.' But Estonian e-residency isn't a silver bullet. 'It doesn't make sense for everyone,' Vaga cautions. 'If you're bootstrapped, already have reliable banking, or you want a physical shop in Europe, it's probably not for you.' How Estonia stacks up Estonia is now part of an elite club of favoured offshoring destinations, each with distinct strengths and pitfalls. London offers prestige, investor networks and familiarity. But it also comes with high operational costs, post-Brexit trade frictions and looming tax changes for non-domiciled founders. Delaware is ideal for US expansion and venture capital fundraising, thanks to flexible corporate laws and low state-level taxes. But the complexity of US federal tax and substance rules can trip up founders. Amsterdam provides full EU access, a deep talent pool and vibrant start-up culture, but it is costlier than Estonia and requires a more involved set-up process. Mauritius remains a go-to for African-facing businesses with its 3% effective tax rate and strong treaty network – though it requires real substance (offices, local directors) to stay compliant. Estonia, through its e-residency programme, wins on speed, cost and digital ease. 'You can run a company entirely remotely from anywhere,' says Vaga. 'And your encrypted digital signature is accepted across the EU.' That said, it's not perfect. 'Banking can still be a hurdle,' she concedes. South Africa risks losing more than tax revenue when founders go offshore. It loses jobs, IP and long-term innovation. 'If we want to compete with Mauritius or Estonia, we need to reform exchange controls and court major investors – show them we can be a real partner in building wealth,' says Kriel. 'Cut the red tape, combine the SDL [skills development levy], UIF, PAYE and income tax into one simplified system. If we want to compete with the places [venture capital funders] like, we need to make it easier to build here.' For the right type of business, mostly digital, lean and global in mindset, Estonia offers a near-frictionless way to plug into the EU economy. The e-Residency programme isn't for everyone. But for the increasing number of South African entrepreneurs stuck between red tape locally and global opportunity, it might just be the digital lifeline they've been waiting for. 'It's not about escaping,' says Vaga. 'It's about enabling.' DM
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Troian Bellisario talks playing a police officer in ‘On Call', reflects on ‘Pretty Little Liars' 15th anniversary
In On Call, Troian Bellisario plays Tracy Harmon, a veteran field training officer in the Long Beach Police Department, navigating the mental and physical toll of her job while mentoring rookie officer Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente). The role marks a striking shift from her Pretty Little Liars days, and Bellisario admits she was surprised when first approached to play a police officer. 'Tracy Harmon, veteran police officer, 40 years old. I thought, 'Oh my god, I'm never going to get this,'' she admits. 'I've never played anyone older than me, and certainly never a cop.' But something in the script clicked. 'The minute I started reading her words, I was enthralled. I'd never seen a cop show like this.' More from GoldDerby 'I Am: Celine Dion' will now compete for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at Emmys - so what's the difference? Jacob Elordi reveals personal reason for joining 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North': 'It was something important to me' 'Étoile' creators say cinematographer M. David Mullen was their 'film school' Unlike traditional procedurals, Prime Video's On Call leans heavily into body cam footage and a half-hour drama format, a fusion Bellisario calls 'thrilling' and 'raw.' The real-time style gives the show a documentary edge, which grounds its emotional beats. 'It made me lean in,' she said. 'You're not watching a formula — you're watching a city in motion.' To prepare, Bellisario undertook ride-alongs with real officers and underwent a crash course in tactical training. 'They cleared out a whole office at Wolf Entertainment and basically did a mini-academy,' she said. One eye-opening moment? Witnessing how even a fender bender can disrupt an entire neighborhood. 'Just clearing an intersection after an accident — no injuries, thankfully — took so many moving parts. It made me realize how much officers do just to keep a city functional.' Amazon MGM Studios The shift from her Pretty Little Liars character Spencer to Tracy hasn't just been about genre — it's also been personal. 'With Pretty Little Liars, everything was a bit heightened,' Bellisario said. 'It was emotional, dramatic, a little soap-y — and Spencer was desperate for people to understand her.' But Harmon is the opposite. 'She doesn't care if you like her. She doesn't want to be your friend. She's here to do her job.' It's not just the emotional restraint that challenged Bellisario. 'A lot of what's demanded in this industry is superficial,' she says candidly. 'There's an unspoken expectation that women should be attractive, put together, desirable. Tracy wasn't written that way. Her strengths are her intelligence and her empathy.' In one memorable moment, Bellisario laughs as she remembers being repeatedly outrun by Larracuente on set. 'I'm a decent runner, and Brandon just smoked me every time. I was like, 'Please never write us running next to each other again!'' Yet the chemistry between Bellisario and the cast is undeniable. She praises the ensemble and executive producers Brenna Malloy and Tim Walsh — for creating a grounded and ego-free environment. 'It was one of those rare sets where you looked around and thought, 'Pinch me. Is this really happening?'' As she looks ahead, Bellisario is thoughtful about her future roles. 'I'm a mom of two now,' she says. 'Time is the most important factor. On Call was perfect because it was intense but short — eight episodes, half-hour format. I got to be the actor I want to be and the parent I need to be.' And as the 15th anniversary of Pretty Little Liars approaches, Bellisario is still moved by the legacy of Spencer Hastings. 'I'm so grateful,' she says. 'That show gave me a rocket ship of a career. It also gave me a family. The people I worked with — cast and crew — I still consider them that. It's rare. But it's also amazing to finally play someone like Tracy — someone rooted in reality who leads with her brain and her heart.' Best of GoldDerby Chloë Sevigny on Kitty Menendez and 'Monsters' fascination: 'People are endlessly curious about those who have privilege and abuse it' Jason Isaacs relives filming 'The White Lotus' piña colada scene: 'It was one of the reasons I was worried about taking the job' Kaitlyn Dever on playing 'horrible' characters in 'Last of Us', 'Apple Cider Vinegar': 'I just don't see any other option but to give 100 percent' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eriq La Salle on developing ‘On Call's' ‘imperfect' hybrid style and returning to acting
Since his time on ER, Eriq La Salle has focused on directing for most of the past two decades, becoming a staple in the Dick Wolf universe. He's worked on Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Chicago P.D. (including serving as an executive producer for five years), Chicago Med, and FBI. So it was no surprise when he got the call for the prolific producer's new drama On Call. "They just called up and said, 'Hey, we've got this cool pilot, we'd love you to do it,'" La Salle tells Gold Derby. "I took a look at it and read it in, I don't know, like, 29 minutes, and said 'yes' in 30 minutes. It was just pretty much a no-brainer." More from GoldDerby Jane Lynch on her 'funny and touching' final scene with Steve Martin on 'Only Murders in the Building' 'Only Murders in the Building' Emmy odds for Selena Gomez, the Martins, and all those guest stars 'Dune: Prophecy' showrunner teases the Fremen and which books Season 2 could cover Signing on in 30 minutes is apt since On Call is Wolf's first half-hour series. The Prime Video police drama follows veteran officer Traci Harmon (Troian Bellisario) training her rookie partner Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente) in Long Beach, Calif. Created by Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf, Wolf's son, On Call was always designed to be a half-hour drama — a rare format nowadays that La Salle would like to see make a comeback. "It's really a throwback to the old dramas back in the '60s that really captured our attention and really held it. And they always felt, in a good way, like they were longer than they were because they had such substance to it and resonated," he says. "You think of, like, Adam-12, Naked City. There were so many cool shows back then, and they were actually half-hours, and we've gotten away from that. And so this really lent itself to return to that format. I just kind of thought like, 'Who better to sort of lead us back there than the Dick Wolf camp?' I think as we're as this industry is struggling with sort of coming up with a new image and a new approach and a new format of how we entertain. I thought this was just right on time." SEE Troian Bellisario on playing a police officer in On Call, reflects on 15th anniversary of Pretty Little Liars La Salle, who also joined as executive producer, directed four episodes of the eight-episode first season, including the pilot — his Emmy submission — in which he established the look of the show. On Call incorporates footage from body cams, dash cams, and cell phones, creating a voyeuristic, cinéma vérité feel. "Part of our training was to do ride-alongs, and we wanted to basically put the audience in and make them feel that they were in the cop car, doing a ride-along, a day in the life of a cop," La Salle says. "You want the unsteadiness of the body cam. You want the imperfect framing. This is not about beauty. It's about the truth and the grit of what is happening in that moment. You sometimes want a little separation. You want a dash cam where we want to pull the audience in and make them feel like they need to look harder to see what's really going on because they can't see everything perfectly." Amazon MGM Studios The three-time Emmy nominee credits the "collaborative effort" between his crew to find the right "alchemy" for the hybrid footage. "I just have to be very clear when I'm explaining my vision and I just love talented people that can take that and run with it," he continues. "Adam Silver, who's our DP, was just so gung-ho about all of it. And we experimented a lot. And then our editor was essential as well because we were still finding the balance the alchemy of all of this, even in post. 'How much is too much?' 'OK, let's cut a little bit of the body cam out.' 'Maybe it's too much. It's not appropriate.' It was a process and it was really cool. But everyone jumped in. I think we got to a point where, like, 'OK, we're close, but wasn't still quite it.' And then we made some more adjustments. And then it was like, 'That's it. That's the right amount. Not too much, not too little.' It was very important to us in honoring what I think is a great script. We never wanted the show in any way to feel gimmicky." La Salle hadn't been onscreen in almost a decade and never intended to act on On Call. His BFF and former ER co-star Michael Beach was cast as Sgt. Lasman but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Other actors were considered before La Salle decided to take on the role himself, inspired by another actor-director-producer on one series. "I have a lot of admiration and respect for what Jason Bateman did with Ozark. And obviously he did it on a much larger scale than what I did. He was the lead. He was in pretty much every scene, all of that, but I just thought he did such a fantastic job," he says. "I strive to be sort of in the very small class of multi-hyphenates. There are endless numbers of actors, there are tons of directors, there are tons of producers. It's much smaller a scale for people that do all of that." SEE ER alum Eriq La Salle looks back on the Benton-Carter rehab moment 25 years later: 'If you have to go to hell, I'm coming to hell with you' La Salle, who's also an award-winning novelist, "absolutely" felt rusty getting back in front of the camera. He relied a lot on Bellisario, with whom he shared his most intense scenes as their characters frequently clashed. "She has a very easy way about her. She has, and more importantly — or equally important, I should say — a very honest way about how she approaches the craft. And so when part of my brain is over here thinking about the directing, and part of it is over here, thinking about the overall production — I just leaned on her more. There was just something about me locking eyes with her, and maybe with maybe she saw the pleading in my eyes," he says with a laugh. "I thought we had fantastic chemistry, but I felt everyone had great chemistry. ... By the end of the shoot, I started feeling much more comfortable. But yeah, there were some times in the beginning I was like, 'Oh man, I am rusty. I haven't hit that note in a long time.'" Prime Video canceled On Call last month, but the show is being shopped to other platforms, including Peacock, which streams Wolf's NBC projects. "Everyone would love to [do a second season]," La Salle says. "It's a great, great cast and crew. We became very close. We'd love that, but it's up to the powers that be." On Call is streaming on Prime Video. Best of GoldDerby Jane Lynch on her 'funny and touching' final scene with Steve Martin on 'Only Murders in the Building' Chloë Sevigny on Kitty Menendez and 'Monsters' fascination: 'People are endlessly curious about those who have privilege and abuse it' Jason Isaacs relives filming 'The White Lotus' piña colada scene: 'It was one of the reasons I was worried about taking the job' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dick Wolf's On Call Cancelled After One Season at Amazon — Could It Be Saved by Another Streamer?
Officers Traci Harmon and Alex Diaz will no longer be policing the streets of Long Beach, Calif., now that Prime Video has cancelled Dick Wolf's On Call, according to our sister site Deadline. The cancellation comes four months after the release of Season 1, which consisted of eight episodes and dropped on Jan. 9. More from TVLine Found Cancelled After Two Seasons on NBC Suits LA Cancelled at NBC After One Season The Irrational Cancelled at NBC After Two Seasons The series, though, is already being shopped to other platforms, Deadline reports, with two of them (including Peacock, which streams Wolf's Law & Order and #OneChicago series) engaging 'in discussions about a potential second season.' On Call — which hails from creators Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf, and counts Dick Wolf as an executive producer — is described as 'an adrenalized and visceral police drama that follows a rookie and veteran officer duo as they go on patrol in Long Beach, Calif. Incorporating a mixture of body-cam, dash-camera, and cellphone footage to create a cinema verité effect, the innovative series explores the morality of protecting and serving a community.' The series stars Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars) as Harmon, the hard-charging, protective veteran officer who struggles to find her place in the department while training the next generation of officers. Brandon Larracuente (The Good Doctor) co-stars as Diaz, the ambitious rookie who grapples with holding onto his optimistic outlook as he realizes the challenges he'll face in today's climate. Rounding out the ensemble are executive producer/director Eriq La Salle (ER) as Sergeant Lasman, Lori Loughlin (Full House) as Lieutenant Bishop, and Rich Ting (Tulsa King) as Sergeant Koyama. An A-to-Z List of 300+ Scripted Series View List Best of TVLine Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others
