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New recurring cast members have been added to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson will star in a new half-hour Apple TV+ comedy series. A first look at Kate Middleton and Prince William for The Crown season 6 has dropped. Tony Shalhoub and original cast will return for Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie at Peacock. The Last of Us creators tease more than two seasons. Plus trailers for Only Murders in the Building, The Bear, American Born Chinese, and more of the biggest news in TV and streaming of the past week.
(Photo by Anthony Devlin; Karwai Tang; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
Game of Thrones’ Mance Rayder, Ciarán Hinds, has joined Prime Video fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for season 2. He is joined by British actors Rory Kinnear and Tanya Moodie. The trio have been cast in recurring roles for the upcoming season, which is currently in production. Prime Video has not yet divulged which roles the three actors will play.
Hinds was nominated for both an Oscar and a BAFTA Award as Best Supporting Actor for his performance as “Pop” in Kenneth Branagh’s film Belfast. Kinnear is perhaps best known for his role as Bill Tanner in the James Bond films Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre. He took on multiple roles in Alex Garland’s Men, and has appeared on TV in Inside No. 9 (BBC), Penny Dreadful (Sky Atlantic), Southcliffe (Channel 4), Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror (Channel 4), starring in the drama Lucan (ITV), and in Taika Waititi’s comedy series Our Flag Means Death on HBO Max. Moodie won the Royal Television Society’s Breakthrough Award for the role of “Meg” in BAFTA Award-winning comedy Motherland (BBC). Her television roles also include starring as Hunter in the miniseries adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere (BBC), as well as roles in Tin Star (Sky Atlantic), A Discovery of Witches (Sky One), The Man Who Fell to Earth (Showtime), and Sherlock (BBC).
(Photo by HBO)
True Detective alums Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson will reunite for a new untitled half-hour comedy series at Apple TV+ from Emmy-winning creator David West Read (The Big Door Prize, Schitt’s Creek).
This time, though, the actors won’t be playing troubled law men; they’ll be playing fictional versions of themselves. Apple describes the program as a “heartfelt odd couple love story revolving around the strange and beautiful bond between Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.” Things get complicated in the meta-sounding series when the duo’s combined family strive to live together at Matthew’s ranch in Texas.
McConaughey and Harrelson will executive produce the series alongside Read.
(Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)
As we await the sixth and final season of The Crown to hit Netflix, which will bring the Royal Family’s epic story from the late ’90s into the ’00s, a first look at Prince William and Kate Middleton has been revealed.
Ed McVey, pictured above, steps into the role of William as a young adult following the tragic death of Princess Diana. Newcomer Meg Bellamy plays Middleton. The duo will meet and spark up their iconic romance after meeting at St. Andrews in 2001, eventually leading her to the future title of Duchess of Cambridge.
The Crown season 6 is currently in production.
Hulu excited Only Murders in the Building fans ready to return to the murder mystery mayhem of New York’s Arconia by airing a first trailer for season 3 during Sunday’s Oscars ceremony. The streamer premiered a new face in the teaser for the Emmy-nominated series, which stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez: Oscar-winner Meryl Streep.
Streep will appear in a guest-starring role as a theater actress named Loretta. The new season will delve into the sudden on-stage death of Paul Rudd’s Ben Glenroy on the opening night of Oliver’s (Short) new play. Considering the fact that Charles (Martin) is back dabbling in the world on acting, Streep’s addition to the series will surely provide a welcome level of hilarity and conflict.
Aside from Streep and Rudd, other additions to season 3 are Grey’s Anatomy’s Jesse Williams and Emily in Paris’s Ashley Park.
Only Murders in the Building season 3 is coming soon to Hulu.
More trailers and teasers released this week:
• Mrs. Davis stars follows nun Simone (Betty Gilpin) on an epic quest to destroy the world’s most powerful Artificial Intelligence known as “Mrs. Davis.” Premieres April 20. (Peacock)
• Slip follows unhappily-married Mae (Zoe Lister-Jones), who orgasms her war into a surreal journey of parallel universes. Married to different people, the series follows as she tries to find a way back to her partner, and ultimately, herself. Premieres April 21 (The Roku Channel)
• Jury Duty is a new docu-style comedy series that takes a unique look at serving on a jury. In a normal case, jurors are forbidden from revealing any details about the case they preside over, but this isn’t a normal case. It is entirely fake, and everyone involved is an actor – except for one guy who thinks the whole thing is real. Premieres April 17. (Amazon Freevee)
• BEEF follows the aftermath of a road rage incident between Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder, and Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a self-made entrepreneur with a picturesque life. The increasing stakes of their feud unravel their lives and relationships in this darkly comedic and deeply moving series. Premieres April 6. (Netflix)
• From will explore just how far the residents of this nightmarish place are willing to go to find answers in season 2, even as chilling new threats to their safety—and their sanity—begin to emerge. Premieres March 29. (Apple TV+)
• American Born Chinese is a fantasy series starring Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan and based on the genre-hopping graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. It tells the story of Jin Wang, an average teenager, who meets a new student on the first day of the school year and unwittingly becomes entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods. Premieres May 24. (Disney+)
• Great Expectations is FX’s updated take on Charles Dickens’ classic novel — a coming-of-age story of an orphan who yearns for a greater lot in life, and the twist of fate and the evil machinations of the mysterious and eccentric “Miss Havisham” who shows him a dark world of possibilities. Premieres March 26. (FX on Hulu)
• FX’s The Bear has dropped its first teaser for season 2. This trip back to Chicago is going to taste a bit different. It’s not a reopening, it’s a rebirth. Premieres Summer 2023. (FX on Hulu)
• The Portable Door centers on Paul (Patrick Gibson) and Sophie (Sophie Wilde), two put-upon interns who begin working at the mysterious London firm J.W. Wells & Co., and become increasingly aware that their employers are anything but conventional. Charismatic villains Humphrey Wells (Christoph Waltz), the CEO of the company, and middle manager Dennis Tanner (Sam Neill) are disrupting the world of magic by bringing modern corporate strategy to ancient magical practices. Premieres April 8. (MGM+)
• Judy Blume Forever celebrates the radical honesty of the books by trailblazing author Judy Blume and explores how they changed the way millions of adolescent readers understood themselves, their sexuality, and what it meant to grow up. Premieres April 21. (Prime Video)
• The Prank Panel lets everyday people pitch pranks targeting family members, friends and co-workers to Johnny Knoxville, Eric Andre, and Gabourey Sidibe, the show’s panel of expert pranksters. Premieres in summer 2023. (ABC)
For all the latest TV and streaming trailers subscribe to the Rotten Tomatoes TV YouTube channel.
(Photo by Hopper Stone/USA Network/Everett Collection)
Adrian Monk is coming back for one more case. His last case, to be exact. Tony Shalhoub will reprise his famous OCD detective for Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie for Peacock. Adrian returns to the world of crime-fighting to help solve a very personal case involving his step-daughter Molly, a journalist preparing for her wedding, and will be joined by the show’s original cast Ted Levine as Captain Leland Stottlemeyer, Traylor Howard as Natalie Teeger, Jason Gray-Stanford as Randall Disher, Melora Hardin as Trudy Monk, and Hector Elizondo as Neven Bell. “When creator Andy Breckman came to us with a new Monk case set in present day, we immediately fell in love with this story all over again,” said Michael Sluchan, executive vice president of Movies, Kids, Daytime, NBCUniversal Television, and Streaming. “The movie has the heart and humor of the original series with a contemporary relevance, and we’re overjoyed to work with the original creative team, including Andy, David Hoberman, Randy Zisk, the unparalleled Tony Shalhoub, and our partners at UCP, for what is sure to be a must-see movie event for Peacock audiences.”
Ellie Kemper is set to star in and produce the ABC comedy pilot Drop-Off (wt). The American adaptation of UK comedy Motherland will feature Kemper as overwhelmed working mom Julia, and Variety reports, Judy Greer will co-star as hyper-confident mom Amanda with Michaela Conlin rounding out the cast, according to Deadline, as cool mom Liz. (Variety)
Oscar Isaac is in talks to play Kurt Vonnegut in Helltown for Amazon. The eight-episode crime thriller is based on the book by Casey Sherman and follows Vonnegut, before he became a famous author, as he gets embroiled in a chilling hunt for serial killer. (Variety)
(Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire has added Ben Daniels as a series regular for season 2 at AMC, the actor confirmed on Instagram. Daniels will step into the role of Santiago, the leading vamp thespian of the Theatre des Vampires, Deadline first reported.
Sky and Peacock are partnering on The Tattooist of Auschwitz, based on the global best-selling novel about an unlikely, brave, and enduring love story in the darkest place imaginable. Jonah Hauer-King and Anna Próchniak will star as Lale Sokolov and Gita Furman; Melanie Lynskey will play Heather Morris, the author of the book; Jonas Nay will step into the role of Stefan Baretzki.
Taylor Sheridan’s Bass Reeves series has cast Garrett Hedlund as a recurring guest star in the Paramount+ series. He will play a posse man named Garrett Montgomery who Reeves hires for his expertise and knowledge of the region. (Variety)
Jason Ritter will appear opposite Kathy Bates in CBS’s Matlock reboot. He will play Julian, the entitled, yet formidable, son of the head of the firm. (Variety)
Sarah Shahi will star in ABC’s drama pilot Judgment. Described as a legal soap, Shahi will play Mia Bahari, who the series will follow in two separate time periods — one where she is a successful appeals court judge being vetted for the US Supreme Court, and the other which follows her as a young spitfire attorney with secrets she wants to keep buried. (Variety)
ABC’s Judgment has added Reid Scott, François Arnaud, Portia Doubleday, Christine Adams, and Ken Kirby to the cast. Scott plays high-powered defense attorney Tommy Quinn; Arnaud is Deputy Solicitor General Leo Quinn; Doubleday will play quirky, up-and-coming associate Eloise “Ellie”Roth; Adams is Special Agent Monica Moore; and Kirby is Deputy White House Counsel Andrew Chang. (Variety)
Elizabeth Banks will star in and executive produce Fox’s Flintstones spinoff series Bedrock. She will play Pebbles, the adult daughter of Fred and Wilma, alongside Stephen Root who will play Fred; Amy Sedaris who will play Wilma; Nicole Byer who will Betty; Joe Lo Truglio who will play Barney; and Manny Jacinto who will play Bamm-Bamm. (Deadline)
(Photo by HBO)
The Last of Us will be staying around for more than two seasons. Show creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann revealed the future of the series will find multiple seasons exploring the story arc from the 2020 video game sequel The Last of Us: Part II, which contains a more complex story, more characters, and an exciting array of action set pieces. HBO officially renewed the series in January. Just how many seasons should we expect from HBO’s hit series? “You have noted correctly that we will not say how many,” Mazin told GQ. “But more than one is factually correct.”
A Gattaca TV series is in development at Showtime from Homeland co-creators Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon, and Dallas Buyer’s Club screenwriter Craig Borten. The 1997 film starred Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law about a future-world where eugenics dictated the society’s class system. (Variety)
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies has revealed some tidbits regarding the spinoffs in the works following the landmark international deal with Disney+. One program explores military research organization UNIT and will star Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, reprising the role she has played on the series since 2012, BBC sources confirmed to Deadline. She may appear in 2023’s Doctor Who Christmas special opposite Ncuti Gatwa. As well, three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials are in the works and David Tennant and Catherine Tate are set to appear.
FX is developing drama series Drug Spies, which hails from Tetris screenwriter and creator of NatGeo’s Genius series, Noah Pink, author Kirk Wallace Johnson, and director Kari Skogland (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier). The original series is based on true events and explore the world of spies who work for multinational drug companies. (Deadline)
Netflix is in early development on an international spy thriller inspired by Christopher Reich’s “Simon Riske” book series. Described as The Day of the Jackal meets The Bourne Identity, the first season, which will focus on the events of the first book in the series titled “The Take,” centers on the titular freelance industrial spy who gets involved in the chase for a stolen letter that could upend the balance of power in the Western world. (Deadline)
The Key Man will tell the story of disgraced financier Arif Naqvi. The series hails from Miramax Television and will star Dev Patel, who will also executive produce. (Deadline)
Sean “Diddy” Combs has joined the race against Tyler Perry and Byron Allen, to buy a majority stake of BET Media Group as reports of Paramount Global exploring the sale of the asset continue to swirl. (Variety)
Rob Sinclair’s bestselling thriller “Sleeper 13” is being adapted by new Indian production company Turning Point Productions. The story follows a protagonist who was trained as an elite insurgent after being smuggled to the Middle East as a child and his journey to breaking free from the program to hunt down those who made him a monster to begin with. (Variety)
Fox has partnered with comedian Peter S. Kim to develop single-camera/hybrid comedy series No. 1 Supreme Citizen of America. The show follows a USA-obsessed immigrant Sun Min Kim (played by Kim) as he hits the road to learn about what it means to be an American as he attempts to ace his upcoming citizenship test. (Deadline)
Oscar-winning animation studio ShadowMachine, who brought Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio to life, is developing animated mystery series MilePost 88. The program follows two brothers (and gas station managers located deep in the Great Basin desert of Nevada) when their lives are thrown into chaos by a stranger who unlocks a mystery involving their own family. (Deadline)
