SciFiAndTvTalk

Criminal Record Coming In January 2024 (Apple TV+)

(L-R): Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo in Criminal Record. Photo courtesy/copyright of Apple TV+.

Criminal Record is an eight-episode Apple Original crime thriller starring Academy Award and BAFTA winner Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who, The Thick of It), and Laurence Olivier Award and Critics Choice Award nominee Cush Jumbo (The Good Wife, The Good Fight, The Beast Must Die) as detectives in a tug of war over a high-profile murder case. From BAFTA Award nominee Paul Rutman (Vera, Indian Summers), Criminal Record is a powerful, character-driven drama set in the heart of contemporary London. An anonymous phone call draws two brilliant detectives into a confrontation over an old murder case – one a young woman in the early stages of her career, the other a well-connected man determined to protect his legacy. The series touches on issues of race, institutional failure and the quest to find common ground in a polarized Britain. 

Criminal Record is produced for Apple TV+ by Tod Productions and STV Studios, and executive produced by BAFTA Scotland Award winner Elaine Collins, Rutman, Capaldi and Jumbo. The series is directed by BAFTA Award winner Jim Loach  and Shaun James Grant.

Criminal Record will make its global debut on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on Friday, January 12th, 2024, followed by new episodes every Friday through February 23rd.

Mark Wahlberg Stars In The Family Plan - Premiering In December (Apple TV+)

Coming soon to Apple TV+, Apple Original Films' The Family Plan is a new action comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan, and directed by Simon Cellan Jones.

Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg) loves his quiet suburban life as a devoted husband, father of three and successful car salesman. But that’s only half the story. Decades earlier, he was an elite government assassin tasked with eliminating the world’s deadliest threats. When enemies from his past track him down, Dan packs his unsuspecting wife (Michelle Monaghan), angsty teen daughter, pro-gamer teen son and adorable 10-month-old baby into their minivan and takes off on an impromptu cross-country road trip to Las Vegas. Determined to protect his family — while treating them to the vacation of a lifetime — Dan must put his long-dormant skills into action, without revealing his true identity.  The Family Plan will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, December 15th, 2023.

Slow Horses - Season Three Premieres This Month! (Apple TV+)

Winner of Best English-Language Drama Series at the 2022 C21 International Drama Awards, and Starring Academy Award winner Gary Oldman, Slow Horses is a darkly humorous espionage drama that follows a dysfunctional team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping-ground department of MI5 known un-affectionately as Slough House. In season three, a romantic liaison in Istanbul threatens to expose a buried MI5 secret in London. When Jackson Lamb and his team of misfits are dragged into the fight, they find themselves caught in a conspiracy that threatens the future not just of Slough House but of MI5 itself. 

Oldman stars as Jackson Lamb, the brilliant but misanthropic leader of the spies, who end up in Slough House due to their career-ending mistakes as they frequently find themselves blundering around the smoke and mirrors of the espionage world. The ensemble cast also includes Academy Award-nominee Kristin Scott Thomas, BAFTA Scotland Award-winner Jack Lowden, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Freddie Fox, Chris Reilly, Samuel West, Sophie Okonedo, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Kadiff Kirwan and Academy Award-nominee Jonathan Pryce. Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù joins the season three cast as Sean Donovan, the former head of security at the British embassy in Istanbul, along with Katherine Waterston who plays Alison Dunn, an MI5 agent who uncovers a dark secret at the heart of the agency.

Slow Horses is produced for Apple TV+ by See-Saw Films and adapted for television by Will Smith (Veep). Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Douglas Urbanski, Gail Mutrux, Will Smith, Jane Robertson and Graham Yost serve as executive producers on the series. Season three is directed by Saul Metzstein. 

The six-episode, third season of Slow Horses debuts globally on Wednesday, November 29th with the first two episodes, followed by one new episode weekly, every Wednesday on Apple TV+. 

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Starring Kurt Russell & Wyatt Russell Coming This Month! (Apple TV+)

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a new 10-episode Apple Original series, based  on Legendary’s Monsterverse, that follows the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco, and the shocking revelation that monsters are real. Starring Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga — spanning three generations – reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives. 

The series is co-developed and executive produced by Chris Black and Matt Fraction. Matt Shakman directs the first two episodes and serves as executive producer alongside Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell from Safehouse Pictures, Andy Goddard, Brad Van Arragon and Andrew Colville. Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita executive produce on behalf of Toho Co., Ltd., the owner of the Godzilla character. Toho licensed the rights to Legendary for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters as a natural byproduct of their long-term relationship with the film franchise.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will debut with the first two episodes on Friday, November 17th, followed by one episode every Friday through January 12th.

Culprits Premieres In December (Hulu)

Premiering December 8th on Hulu, Culprits kicks off where most crime stories end: after a high-stakes heist, when the crew of elite criminals have gone their separate ways and have tried to leave their old lives behind. Past and present collide when a ruthless assassin starts targeting them one by one. Why are they being stalked, who is behind the mayhem, and will they be able to find one another in time to protect themselves and the people they love? Check out the trailer below!

 

The eight-episode series stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Generation, Candyman), Gemma Arterton (The Kin s Man, Summerland), Kirby (Cruella, The Good Place), Niamh Algar (Deceit, Raised by Wolves), Kamel El Basha (The Insult), Tara Abboud, Kevin Vidal (Strays, Working Moms), Ned Dennehy (The Peripheral, Good Omens), and Eddie Izzard (Victoria and Abdul, Six Minutes to Midnight). Culprits” is executive produced by Stephen Garrett (The Undoing, The Night Manager) & J Blakeson (I Care A Lot, “The Disappearance of Alice Creed), created by J Blakeson, directed by J Blakeson and Claire Oakley (Make Up) and produced by Morenike Williams (“Killing Eve”). Culprits is a Character 7 production and is executive produced by Johanna Devereaux for Disney+ EMEA.

A Murder At The End of the World Coming This Month (Hulu)

A Murder at the End of the World is a mystery series with a new kind of detective at the helm — a Gen Z amateur sleuth and tech-savvy hacker named “Darby Hart” (Emma Corrin). Darby and eight other guests are invited by a reclusive billionaire (Clive Owen) to participate in a retreat at a remote and dazzling location. When one of the other guests is found dead, Darby must use all of her skills to prove it was murder against a tide of competing interests and before the killer takes another life. Check out the trailer below!

The series stars Emma Corrin, Clive Owen, Harris Dickinson, Brit Marling, Alice Braga, Joan Chen, Raúl Esparza, Jermaine Fowler, Ryan J. Haddad, Pegah Ferydoni, Javed Khan, Louis Cancelmi, Edoardo Ballerini, Britian Seibert, Christopher Gurr, Kellan Tetlow, Daniel Olson and Neal Huff. A Murder at the End of the World is created and directed by Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij. Marling and Batmanglij also executive produced alongside Andrea Sperling (Transparent), Melanie Marnich and Nicki Paluga. The seven-episode limited series is produced by FX Productions. A Murder at the End of the World will premiere with two episodes on November 14th, streaming exclusively on Hulu. A new episode will be released each subsequent Tuesday through December 19th.

Futurama Renewed For Two More Seasons! (Hulu)

Hulu has renewed the adult animated series Futurama, which hails from 20th Television Animation, for two seasons (seasons 13 and 14) and an additional 20 episodes. Hulu originally revived the beloved series in 2022 with a 20-episode order. Season 11 premiered on Hulu on July 24th, following a massive presence at San Diego Comic-Con. The season is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes at 86%, and was on Nielsen’s Top 10 Original Series List for six of the weeks during its run. Season 12 is expected to debut on Hulu in 2024.

Futurama premiered in 1999 and quickly gained a faithful following and critical acclaim, including two primetime Emmys for Outstanding Animated Program. Despite its far-future setting, the show is renowned for its satiric commentary on life in the present. The series follows Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a New York City pizza delivery boy, who accidentally freezes himself in 1999 and gets defrosted in the year 3000. In this astonishing New New York, he befriends hard-drinking robot Bender (John DiMaggio), and falls in love with cyclops Leela (Katey Sagal). The trio find work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry’s doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth. Together with accountant Hermes Conrad, assistant Amy Wong, and alien lobster Dr. John Zoidberg, they embark on thrilling adventures that take them to every corner of the universe. After its initial run on the Fox Broadcasting Network, a roller-coaster of cancellations and resurrections ensued. Four successful direct-to-DVD releases in 2007-2009 led to the show's rebirth on Comedy Central from 2010-2013. Then, after a brief ten-year freeze in the cryogenic chamber, Futurama emerged triumphantly as a streaming series for Hulu with a 20-episode order.

After a brief ten-year hiatus, Futurama has sprung triumphantly from the cryogenic tube, its full original cast and satirical spirit intact. The ten all-new episodes of season eleven have something for everyone. New viewers will be able to pick up the series from here, while long-time fans will recognize payoffs to decades-long mysteries – including developments in the epic love story of Fry and Leela, the mysterious contents of Nibbler's litter box, the secret history of evil Robot Santa, and the whereabouts of Kif and Amy's tadpoles. Meanwhile there's a whole new pandemic in town as the crew explores the future of vaccines, bitcoin, cancel culture, and streaming TV.

The series stars John DiMaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman. Futurama is created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen. Executive Producers include Groening, Cohen, Ken Keeler and Claudia Katz.

Futurama is a key pillar of Hulu’s Animayhem brand, the sub-brand the streamer launched in July, as Hulu remains the premier adult animation destination. The streamer remains the home to all episodes of fan favorites including Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, American Dad, and so many others. Hulu has long been the top destination for Adult Animation and Anime, with over 20,000 episodes across both genres available to stream.

Social:
Twitter: @Futurama_HULU
Instagram: @FuturamaonHULU
Tiktok: @Futurama
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Futurama/
Hashtag: #Futurama

Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale Premieres In January 2024 (Sundance Now/AMC+)

Elaine Cassidy as Sarah Fenn in Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale. Photo courtesy/copyright of Sundance Now/AMC+.

Sundance Now and AMC+ today released the premiere date and first-look images for the seven-part drama series, Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale, written and created by Debbie Horsfield, and adapted from the novel by V.V. James. The Sundance Now original series debuts with a two-episode premiere on Thursday, January 4th, exclusively on Sundance Now and AMC+, with new episodes airing weekly. The series will be available on applicable platforms in the USA and Canada.

Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale is set in a contemporary world where witchcraft is real. It takes place in the idyllic English town of Sanctuary, where for hundreds of years witches have lived peacefully, as valued members of society. Until now. At the heart of the story is Sarah Fenn (Elaine Cassidy), Sanctuary’s resident witch, on whom the town relies to solve their problems when conventional remedies have failed. When local teen rugby star, Dan Whithall, dies tragically in an apparent accident, his death exposes a terrifying undercurrent of suspicion and fear towards Sarah and her teenage daughter, Harper (Hazel Doupe). Mother of the dead boy, Abigail (Amy de Bhrun), once Sarah’s closest friend, is wracked with grief, and to avenge her son’s death, launches a modern-day witch-hunt to get “justice”, no matter what the cost.

Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale also stars Stephanie Levi-John, Valerie O’Connor, Kelly Campbell and Stephen Lord. The series is executive produced by Monumental Television (Mrs Sidhu Investigates, Harlots) and is directed by Lisa Mulcahy and Justin Molotnikov.

Orphan Black: Echoes Coming In 2024 (AMC/AMC+/BBC America)

Set in the near future, Orphan Black: Echoes takes a deep dive into the exploration of the scientific manipulation of human existence. It follows a group of women as they weave their way into each other's lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unraveling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal. Taking place in the world of the landmark and Emmy® Award-winning series Orphan Black and starring and executive produced by Krysten Ritter, additional cast for the new 10-episode sci-fi thriller includes Keeley Hawes, Amanda Fix, Avan Jogia, Rya Kihlstedt, James Hiroyuki Liao and Reed Diamond. Series premieres in 2024. Check out the teaser trailer below!

Gen V Renewed For Second Season (Prime Video)

Prime Video has officially ordered a sophomore season of the global hit series Gen V, which comes from the world of The Boys. Gen V, from Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television, began its eight-episode freshman season on Friday, September 29th, and will conclude with an epic season finale on Friday, November 3rd. The series streams exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. 

“Expanding the universe of The Boys with a series as bold as Gen V has been an incredible journey for us and our wonderful partners at Sony. From our first conversation with showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, along with Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg, and Seth Rogen, we knew Gen V would push the boundaries. Their unapologetic approach is exactly what audiences love, and it has helped Gen V become the No. 1 series on Prime Video in over 130 countries,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios. “Gen V is Prime Video’s most acquisitive new Original series of 2023, and we’re excited that our incredible cast and crew are going to continue telling brave and bold stories from Gen V to our customers.”

“We couldn’t be happier to make a second season of Gen V. These are characters and stories we’ve grown to love, and we are thrilled to know people feel the same! The writers are already working on the new season—sophomore year is gonna be wild, with all the twists, heart, satire, and exploding genitalia you’ve come to expect from the show,” added showrunner Michele Fazekas and executive producer Eric Kripke. 

"We are so proud that our top-ranked freshman is getting a second season! Thank you to the amazing producers, cast, and crew, for bringing Gen V to life, and our Prime Video teammates, for the incredible support and partnership. We’re thrilled we can all continue on this insane journey together in Season Two!” said Katherine Pope, president of Sony Pictures Television Studios.

Set in the diabolical world of The Boys, Gen V expands the universe to Godolkin University, the prestigious superhero-only college where students train to be the next generation of heroes—preferably with lucrative endorsements. You know what happens when supes go bad, but not all superheroes start out corrupt. Beyond the typical college chaos of finding oneself and partying, these kids are facing explosive situations … literally. As the students vie for popularity and good grades, it’s clear that the stakes are much higher when super powers are involved. When the group of young supes discover that something bigger and sinister is going on at school, they're put to the test: Will they be the heroes or the villains of their stories?

The Season One cast includes Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Marco Pigossi. Gen V also features guest stars Clancy Brown and Jason Ritter, as well as appearances from Jessie T. Usher, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and P.J. Byrne, reprising their roles from The Boys. Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters serve as showrunners and executive producers. Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Pavun Shetty, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Craig Rosenberg, Nelson Cragg, Zak Schwartz, Erica Rosbe, and Michaela Starr also serve as executive producers on the spinoff series. Serving as co-executive producers are Brant Englestein, Sarah Carbiener, Lisa Kussner, Gabriel Garcia, Aisha Porter-Christie, Judalina Neira, and Loreli Alanís. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios, in association with Kripke Enterprises, Point Grey Pictures, and Original Film.