Quantcast
Channel: TV
Viewing all 9480 articles
Browse latest View live

A new trailer for 'Jessica Jones' season 2 teases a new superhero and the return of one of Marvel's greatest villains

$
0
0

jessica jones marvel

  • Netflix just released a new trailer for its second season of "Jessica Jones."
  • The second season will have Jessica delve deeper into her past as she's learning to live with being known as a super-powered killer.
  • The show's second trailer teases her best pal Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) as Jessica Jones' sidekick. In the comics, she eventually becomes a character named Hellcat.
  • We also see a small glimpse of last season's villain, Kilgrave (David Tennant), clapping at the end of the trailer.
  • Season two of "Jessica Jones" will premiere on Netflix March 8. Watch the trailer below.

 

 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: An exercise scientist explains why you shouldn't do sit-ups or crunches


This 'Riverdale' twist was almost guessed by fans weeks ago — but there was an even more shocking revelation

$
0
0

archie arthur adams riverdale

Warning: Spoilers ahead for season two, episode 13 of "Riverdale," titled "The Tell-Tale Heart."

Some eagle-eyed "Riverdale" fans saw Wednesday's twist coming weeks before it even happened. 

On the latest episode of the hit CW show, Archie learns that the FBI agent he's been reporting to is no FBI agent at all. 

On some Reddit threads and in tweets for the show, some fans have been suspicious of the agent from the start.

Redditor nicoleas92 said it could be a figment of Archie's imagination. 

Others thought he might be working for someone else.

"No way is this dude FBI, I’m saying another businessman in competition with Hiram Lodge," wrote redditor RexDust

But some people saw the Lodge family's involvement early on. 

Fans pretty much nailed it. It was Hermione and Hiram Lodge who hired this fake FBI agent as a test for Archie, which he ultimately passed.

After Agent Adams shows up at Archie's house and threatens to ruin Fred Andrew's business, Archie turns to Hiram and tells him that the FBI is after him. 

agent adams riverdale

Later that night, Hiram's driver, Andre, shows up and tells Archie that the "boss" wants to see him. Archie gets in the car with Andre but begins to suspect something when they don't turn into the Pembrooke. Andre drives Archie out to some cliffs where Hermione is waiting.

"Do you know what omertà is?" Hermione asks Archie. "It's our code of silence. It states that there is no worse, no more cowardly crime than snitching."

"Mrs. Lodge, I would never, ever do anything to betray your family. I swear," he says. 

"So you've proven to me these last few weeks," she responds. "Hiram and I, unbeknownst to our daughter, enlisted one of our closest associates to approach you, say he was an FBI agent investigating Hiram. Agent Adams isn't real. He works for me."  

hermione lodge riverdale

Hermione admits that she told him to threaten Fred to see how Archie would respond. 

It was a test that he passed.

"Welcome to the family, Archie," she says. 

There's sure to be more trouble for Archie as he gets deeper in with the Lodge family.  

Watch "Riverdale" on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch SpaceX launch a Tesla Roadster to Mars on the Falcon Heavy rocket — and why it matters

Here's everything we know about the latest death on 'Riverdale'

$
0
0

strange man riverdale

Warning: Spoilers ahead for season two, episode 13 of "Riverdale," titled "The Tell-Tale Heart."

"Riverdale" fans still don't know exactly who ended up dead in the Cooper house, but Wednesday's episode provided a few more insights.

According to Betty, who dug through the unknown man's phone, the only thing fans know for sure is that the shady man is a drug dealer that Chic messaged earlier. 

Wednesday's episode picked up exactly where last week's episode ended — with Betty shocked at her mom cleaning blood from the floor. When Betty asks what happened, Alice doesn't explain much.

"He tried to hurt me, and Chic, your brother," she says before trailing off. 

dead man riverdale

The Coopers take care of the body.

Alice won't let Betty call the cops because she doesn't want them taking Chic away. She reiterates that it was self-defense, and then she and Betty proceed to clean the mess before Hal shows up. They wrap the body in the dining room rug and take it to abandoned sewer pipes on the outside of town.

Betty finds a phone. 

Betty struggles with the murder and eventually goes back to the pipe on her own. While there, his phone rings, so she takes it. He didn't have a wallet, but she is able to tell from his phone that the man is a drug dealer. She confronts Chic about it but he starts to cry and doesn't answer.

"Frankly, I'm relieved," says Alice of the discovery. "Hopefully it means no one is looking for him." 

alice betty riverdale

The man's phone rings later, but when Betty answers, a woman screams at her and says, "Who the hell is this? Cut the crap. You're the slut he's been whoring with, aren't you? You're why he's been missing. You know what? Tell that scumbag not to come home. He's dead to me." 

The lamp is a clue. 

Finally, thanks to Hal, there's another clue towards the end of the episode. Hal asks about a missing lamp. It would seem like the lamp was used to hit the man on the head, considering he was bleeding from a head injury.

Betty and Jughead eventually dump the guy's car and phone in the lake. FP later buries the body and covers it in lye to dissolve it. 

Towards the end of the episode, Chic gives a suspicious smirk. There seems to be more to this drug dealer — and Chic — than meets the eye. 

What's next? 

Fans still don't know exactly what happened in the Cooper house that night, but Mädchen Amick told INSIDER that the effects will be felt throughout the rest of the season. 

"It definitely raises the stakes between them and their lives," she said. "The repercussions echo throughout the rest of the season. There's a lot more to reveal as we go along." 

Read more from INSIDER's interview with Amick here

Watch "Riverdale" on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch SpaceX launch a Tesla Roadster to Mars on the Falcon Heavy rocket — and why it matters

Hulu lost $920 million in 2017, after its parent companies invested $1 billion in it

$
0
0

the handmaid's tale hulu

  • Hulu lost $920 million in 2017 after its four parent companies — Comcast, 21st Century Fox, Disney and Time Warner — invested $1 billion in it. 
  • The streaming service lost $531 million in 2016.

 

Hulu dropped deeper into the red last year as it boosted spending on originals and launched its live TV service — and the losses are expected to mount in 2018.

In 2017, Hulu lost $920 million, versus a loss of $531 million a year earlier. Its four owners — Comcast, 21st Century Fox, Disney and Time Warner — invested $1 billion in the streamer (versus $733 million in 2016, including $583 million from Time Warner).

The figures are based on Comcast’s 10-K disclosures, which said it invested $300 million in Hulu last year and recorded a $276 million share of losses. Comcast, Fox and Disney owns 30% of Hulu, and Time Warner holds 10%.

Hulu previously disclosed that it expected to spend around $2.5 billion on content in 2017.

According to estimates by BTIG Research analyst Rich Greenfield based on the owners’ financial disclosures, Hulu’s losses will climb 80% in calendar year 2018 to around $1.7 billion and the four parent companies will invest an additional $1.5 billion in the venture.

Investors in Disney and 21st Century Fox should demand more disclosure about Hulu’s financials, Greenfield says. That’s particularly relevant since Disney will acquire 21CF’s 30% stake in Hulu under the mammoth pact the media conglomerates announced late last year.

“When Hulu’s losses and parent-company investment were relatively small, its ability to skew financials at its parent companies was modest,” Greenfield wrote in a blog post. But despite the growing losses “we have virtually no disclosure on the positive impact Hulu’s spending is having on its parent companies.”

Hulu said that as of the end of 2017, it had more than 17 million subscribers for its subscription on-demand and live TV packages, which are available only in the U.S. But it didn’t disclose how many of those had the $40-per-month live TV service (which includes access to the SVOD library).

SEE ALSO: Disney thinks it has a big advantage in its coming war with Netflix — but Wall Street is split on whether it has the right battle strategy

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: JIM ROSS: Here's who will take over WWE after Vince McMahon

Everything you need to know about the central murder mystery in 'Altered Carbon'

$
0
0

Takeshi Kovacs surprised Altered Carbon finale

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the season one finale of "Altered Carbon." 

Netflix's new sci-fi series "Altered Carbon" takes audiences through several twists and turns in a dystopian future. The first season begins with a murder mystery as Laurens Bancroft hires Takeshi Kovacs to investigate his own (Bancroft's) death.

Bancroft is a Meth, the most powerful class in this futuristic world, which means he has back-ups and clones of himself and is effectively immortal. But he wanted to know who tried to have him killed regardless of how unsuccessful the crime wound up being.

On the eighth episode, Tak makes a big show of accusing Ms. Prescott (Bancroft's lawyer) of the murder. But we knew all along Tak was simply setting someone up. So what really happened?

Laurens Bancroft Altered Carbon Netflix

Rei is eventually revealed as the true villain of "Altered Carbon," and we learn that she manipulated Bancroft into killing a young woman. Rei then blackmailed Bancroft into derailing proposed legislation, and he decided to kill himself before his scheduled backup kicked in, allowing him to literally forget the incident.

But in order to fully understand how Bancroft's "suicide" was connected to the mysterious Mary-Lou Henchy (and therefore tied to Ryker and Ortega), we'll have to start at the beginning.

Tak and Rei's time with the Envoys and the fallout

Takeshi, or Tak, and Rei grew up in an abusive household. Their father murdered their mother and covered up the crime, and Tak killed their father in retaliation. Then the two children were then found by CTAC — the Colonial Tactical Assault Corp (Protectorate military soldiers). 

A CTAC officer named Jaeger convinced Tak that he should join their force, and that Rei would be safer if he let her be adopted into another home. Tak agreed, and spent his formative years training as a CTAC soldier. During one raid assignment, Tak realizes that he's been sent to arrest (and/or kill) a man who is working with Rei.

Upon seeing each other, Tak and Rei immediately turned on their partners — killing both the man with Rei and all the CTAC officers who were with Tak. That meant they both had to go on the run or risk being imprisoned.

The siblings went into the forest, and found Quell Falconer's Envoy rebellion at a base camp called Stronghold. 

Takeshi Kovacs and Reileen Kawahara Altered Carbon Netflix

Rei was hesitant to join the group (who were fighting against the ruling class). But she was committed to never leaving Tak's side again, and so the two trained with Quell and learned how to be super-soldier Envoys together.

Tak and Quell eventually fell in love, but right as their relationship was solidifying — and Rei had found out about it — the Envoy camp was attacked by CTAC.

Tak believed both Rei and Quell were dead

Tak, Rei, and Quell were all outside of the range of the deadly digital virus deployed among the rebellion. Tak told Rei and Quell to escape together while he tried to hold off the attackers. 

What Tak didn't know at the time was that Rei was wildly envious of his relationship with Quell. She hated that it diverted his attention and loyalty away from her, so she killed Quell by blowing up their escape jet. Rei was also convinced that Quell's rebellion was doomed, and so Rei thought she was saving Tak's life by ending the rebellion.

In exchange for her betrayal, Rei was given backup storage, clones, and plenty of money by CTAC.

On the finale of "Altered Carbon," Rei told Tak that she also created a digital backup of Quell, but hid the device somewhere he'd never find on his own. That means Quell is theoretically "alive" out in the universe somewhere.

Renee Elise Goldsberry plays Quell Falconer Altered Carbon 1 Netflix

Tak was devastated by what he thought was the death of both his sister and the love of his life. He went into hiding, and presumably became a black market criminal. By the time we saw him in a new sleeve during the opening scenes of "Altered Carbon," the CTAC team had been searching for him for years.

But Rei survived and went on to become a powerful Meth

Rei's betrayal of the Envoy rebellion was the first big step in her turn to becoming a Meth. She dedicated her life to becoming a wealthy influencer who could deploy minions and find her brother again.

The way Rei made her money was through sex-trade: Prostitution and strip clubs. The worst version of this was the Head in the Clouds satellite facility that was based in the skies above Bay City. 

One of the "offerings" Rei provided at Head in the Clouds was essentially murder. Her wealthy clients who enjoyed beating, torturing, and/or killing prostitutes would be given a sex worker who didn't realize they would actually be dying. 

Rei Altered Carbon season one Netflix

How Rei used coding technology to help murder prostitutes — and why that connects to Tak, Ortega, and Laurens' suicide

On "Altered Carbon," anyone's consciousness is coded and stored on "stacks." A person's stack is placed in their spine, right at the base of the neck. If your stack is damaged beyond repair, it means you actually die — which is called "real death" or RD on the show. 

But if your body is simply damaged (for example if you're shot in the chest or sustain other fatal injuries, also called "sleeve death"), then your stack can be inserted into a new sleeve/body. 

There are people in Bay City who don't believe in having their consciousness moved from sleeve to sleeve though. Lieutenant Ortega told Tak that the Neo-Cs (Neo-Catholics) think your soul won't go to heaven if you choose to have your stack spun up in a new sleeve.

So Neo-Cs will have a digital code place into their stack that tells doctors or police officers to leave them dead — similar to how a "Do Not Resuscitate" order works in a hospital. 

653 DHF Altered Carbon law

Rei was putting the Neo-C coding onto the prostitutes' stacks without their knowledge. Which means that when they entered a room with a client who wanted to get off on killing another person, they believed they would die but wake up in a new body.

Instead, the sex workers were actually being murdered because their stacks would show coding saying they wished to remain dead.

Religious people and some lawmakers began pushing a new initiative known as 653 — a new law that would pass and allow murder victims to be spun back up, regardless of religious coding.

Because Rei has been illegally adding the religious coding to the prostitutes she hires, she needed 653 to fail. That's where Bancroft came in. 

Rei conspired to have Bancroft drugged and seduced into murdering a prostitute

Bancroft had a fetish for rape and murder simulation. He didn't want to degrade his own wife, Miriam, so instead he would often visit brothels or strip joints and pay for services. Bancroft believed he had a "line" he would never cross — RD'ing a woman. 

But Bancroft accidentally got one of the women pregnant: Lizzie. 

Lizzie Elliot Altered Carbon Netflix

When Lizzie came to Bancroft's house to tell him, Miriam met her and assaulted her. Lizzie lost the baby as a result of the attack, and Miriam called the family lawyer, Ms. Prescott, and told her to arrange a "fixer."

Prescott contacted Rei, who had Lizzie put through one of her own torture facilities until she went mentally insane. Then they dumped her body. 

This gave Rei leverage over Miriam, so she asked Miriam to drug her own husband with an aggressor enhancement called Stallion. Hopped up on Stallion and furious after a business deal gone wrong, Bancroft went to Head in the Clouds and Rei gave him two prostitutes. 

He murdered one by destroying her stack while having violent sex with her. The other women was Mary-Lou Henchy.

Mary-Lou was one of Rei's sex workers who was killed after Bancroft scared her 

Throughout "Altered Carbon," the mysterious death of Mary-Lou Henchy was connected to Laurens Bancroft's death. Mary-Lou worked in Head in the Clouds, and Rei had placed the Neo-C coding into her stack without telling her.

But Mary-Lou got spooked Bancroft and jumped from the satellite building. She fell to her death and landed in the water near Bay City.

Mary Lou Henchy Altered Carbon Netflix

When the Bay City Police Department retrieved her body, they saw that she was marked as Neo-C and left her dead. Mary-Lou was a childhood friend of Ryker — Ortega's boyfriend and fellow police officer.

Ryker was apparently an unstable kind of guy, but Mary-Lou's death sent him over the edge. 

He drove himself crazy trying to figure out why she would have converted to Neo-C without telling him. Rei eventually had Ryker framed for a murder, and he was put away into storage to serve out his jail time.

Rei blackmailed Bancroft and he killed himself out of shame

After Bancroft RD'ed a sex worker, Rei went to him and convinced him to help persuade the UN to derail the 653 law proposal that would allow people like her to be spun back up in the event of a murder (regardless of any Neo-C religious coding). 

Bancroft did as Rei told, but was so ashamed of his actions that he killed his sleeve before his 48 hour backup kicked in. He wanted to lose all the shameful memories of killing a woman and subsequently using his Meth influence to keep the law from changing. 

Laurens Bancroft Altered Carbon Netflix

He truly had no memory of the incident, and believed he was murdered. But the Bay City Police Department — and Ortega specifically — refused to investigate the "crime" any further. This irritated Bancroft to no end, and so he sought the expertise of a private investigator.

Rei convinced Bancroft to hire Tak, and Ryker's sleeve was picked

Rei saw Bancroft's complicated situation (which she manufactured) as the perfect way of getting to Tak.

Tak had been sealed tightly by CTAC, but Rei new Bancroft was a powerful enough Meth to get him released from storage. Rei used other sleeves to disguise herself and act as an advisor to Bancroft, and tell him to hire Tak. 

Bancroft chose to put Tak into Ryker's sleeve just as a way of messing with Ortega. Rei had no way of knowing that the Ryker sleeve would cause additional complications for Tak. 

altered carbon

She sent out Dimi and other minions to get Tak and bring him to her, but didn't realize Dimi or his twin would torture Tak or confuse him for Ryker.

Rei believed Tak would live by her side in the empire she had created — but she underestimated how heartbroken he would be by her initial betrayal of the Envoys. Tak killed Rei during the final minutes of season one, but not before she told him that Quell had been backed up before she died.

This means her stack is somewhere in the galaxy, if only Tak can find her.

The "Altered Carbon" finale ends with Miriam and Laurens Bancroft in jail

By the end of the first season, Bancroft is arrested for the murder of the young prostitute he killed while on Stallion. Miriam is also arrested for her attack on Lizzie Elliot and she's outed as Rei's accomplice in Bancroft's drugging. 

Tak had double-sleeved himself in order to trick Rei, but he has to kill one of the sleeves. We don't see exactly which one survives, but he tells Ortega it's the one who she said goodbye to.

Reileen Altered Carbon Netflix close

The finale sets up several intriguing storylines that can be followed in a potential second season. Tak is planning on turning in Ryker's sleeve, which means his relationship with Ortega is likely over. Will Ortega and Ryker be able to pick up where they left off?

Will Tak get his original sleeve back, or will we see yet another actor playing Takeshi Kovacs in the future?

Is Quell really "alive" out there, just waiting for her stack to be found and placed into a new body? Can Tak find her?  We'll have to wait and see. For more on "Altered Carbon,"follow INSIDER's coverage here

Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What happens to your body when you start exercising regularly

The worst TV show of every year since 2000, according to critics

$
0
0

dads worst tv shows

Each year in television, one series draws the ire of enough critics to be deemed the worst show of the year.

Since the turn of the century, the reviews aggregator Metacritic has compiled an annual list of the year's most poorly received TV show seasons by assigning scores based on their composite critical reception.

We selected the worst show from each year, starting with 2000. The resulting list includes Fox News' failed take on "The Daily Show," the Seth MacFarlane-produced sitcom "Dads," and ABC's "Marvel's Inhumans."

Here's the worst TV show of every year since 2000, according to critics:

SEE ALSO: The best TV show of every year since 2000, according to critics

2000: "Tucker" (NBC, Season 1)

Critic score: 25/100

User score: N/A

Summary:"Tucker Pierce is an all-American kid who's keeping his chin up and his hormones down in a world that tries - but can't - push him around."

What critics said: "'Tucker' turns adolescence into hormone hell in this raunchy effort to capitalize on the charm of 'Malcolm in the Middle.'"— Houston Chronicle



2001: "Big Brother" (CBS, Season 2)

Critic score: 33/100

User score: 4.9/10

Summary:"Contestants must compete against each other for a chance to win $500,000 in a house wired with cameras and microphones, capturing their every move for a TV and Internet audience."

What critics said: "Don't get your hopes up. This second installment of 'Big Brother' is just as dull as the first. It's just dull in a different and sleazier way."— USA Today



2002: "Hidden Hills" (NBC, Season 1)

Critic score: 29/100

User score: N/A

Summary:"Focuses on a self-absorbed suburban couple living in an LA-area gated community - Paula Marshall plays the busy doctor and Justin Louis is her sex-starved husband."

What critics said: "This series reflects the way wealthy, neurotic, overly busy and sex-obsessed TV executives and producers think America lives, in other words, the way they live. They're wrong."— The Detroit News



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

13 TV shows that have gone through drastic cast changes

$
0
0

grey's anatomy

Television shows can go through some drastic changes as their runs increase. 

As original cast members leave and new cast members join, the show can look a lot different from when it started. That includes shows like "Grey's Anatomy," which only has four original cast members remaining. Other shows are made to constantly change, like "Doctor Who."

Here are 13 shows that have gone through some drastic cast changes over their runs.

"Once Upon a Time" went through drastic changes after its sixth season.

Six longtime cast members left the show before the seventh season: Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison), Henry (Jared Gilmore), Belle (Emilie de Ravin), and Zelena/The Wicked Witch (Rebecca Mader). Some of them did return for at least one episode. But the show added a slew of new characters to the cast, including Andrew J. West as an older Henry.



None of the original cast of "Law and Order" made it to the end of the show.

Six main actors were featured during the police drama's first season. Of those six, Steven Hill lasted the longer. The actor didn't leave until season 10. S. Epatha Merkerson joined during season four and lasted through the end of the 20 seasons. Sam Waterston joined during season five and also lasted until the end. 



Mariska Hargitay is the only cast member of "Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit" to star on the show since season one.

Ice-T, who joined on season two, is the only other actor to stick around for roughly the whole show. Christopher Meloni, who played Elliot Stabler, was Hargitay's partner and left during season 12. Both Richard Belzer and Dann Florek started on season one and left during season 15. Now on season 19, the detective drama has added some new officers and district attorneys to the cast. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Fifty Shades' star Jamie Dornan demonstrates the right way to sensually take a woman's underwear off

$
0
0

Jamie Dornan on

  • While appearing on "Conan," Jamie Dornan discussed what it's like to film sexy scenes in the "Fifty Shades" films.
  • When asked if he got any "sexy notes" from the director on how to film those scenes, Dornan said that it's "a tricky situation."
  • But his co-star, Dakota Johnson, had no problem giving Dornan tips.
  • "In the first movie, I guess there's a sexy way to take off a girl's underwear," Jamie said, demonstrating his less-than-sexy approach.
  • Johnson explained to Dornan that "there's a more delicate, sensual way to do it" that involves using both thumbs and shimmying the underwear down. 
  • Watch Dornan demonstrate in the video below. 

 

Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 5 common 'facts' about Earth that everyone gets wrong


12 of the most devastating TV and movie breakups

$
0
0

ross and rachel break up friends

Movies and TV shows provide a considerable amount of couples that fans become obsessed with, but they also leave viewers devastated when a favorite couple breaks up. After becoming emotionally invested in the fictional love lives of characters, it's heartbreaking to see the couples that you were rooting for decide to part ways. 

Here are some of the most devastating TV and movie relationships.

Ross and Rachel —"Friends"

Ross and Rachel's relationship can best be described as a roller coaster, because it had constant highs and lows. Over the course of 10 seasons, the couple dated other people, broke up, and rekindled their relationship. Their relationship took a hit on season three, when Ross started getting jealous of Rachel spending more time at work with her co-worker, Mark, than with him. Thinking they were on a break and Ross was so upset, he slept with a woman who worked at a nearby copy store, Chloe. 

The next morning, Ross got a message from Rachel where she professed her love for him and they seemingly fixed the rough patch from the previous day. However, Rachel didn't know that Ross slept with someone else, and when she did find out from Gunther, it was one of the saddest moments in the show. 

Ross begged Rachel to stay with him, but she couldn't get past what he did.

"It doesn't matter what you say or what you do, Ross. It's just changed everything forever," Rachel said. 

They did eventually end up together — because as Phoebe said, they're each other's lobsters— but that scene scarred Ross and Rachel fans forever. 



Olivia and Fitz — "Scandal"

One of the biggest storylines on "Scandal" involves Olivia's relationship with Fitz. Fans care deeply about their romance, so when they broke up, people demanded a proper reason — and they got one. 

When the cast and creator attended a panel discussion, Shonda Rhimes was asked about why she decided to break up Fitz and Olivia. 

"Olivia is on a journey," Rhimes explained. "She has been on a journey since we started. It's interesting to me that it's a romance, that her primary story is a romance — that's what you've seen. But to me, her primary story has been discovering herself."

She added: "I'm happy that you have fallen in love with Fitz because that's the journey that Olivia went on. She got the fantasy and then discovered the fantasy wasn't real. That doesn't mean she doesn't love Fitz, but it means Olivia does not know who she is yet."

Even though the breakup was hard for fans to deal with, this seems like a great explanation as to why "Olitz" had to end. 



Stefan and Elena — "The Vampire Diaries"

Fans of "The Vampire Diaries" are all too familiar with the love triangle that played out over the course of several seasons. In the heated debate over who Elena should end up with, viewers took sides, choosing to be on "team Damon" or "team Stefan." 

On season one, Elena and Stefan started dating and it was a sweet relationship that you couldn't help but root for. Stefan was a gentleman who swept Elena off her feet, while Damon was the bad boy who caused unnecessary drama. Even though "Stelena" stuck together when things got complicated, Elena decided to break up with Stefan because she thought she was becoming too focused on their relationship and neglecting others. 

When she told him "it's over" and they both started crying, all the "Stelena" shippers of the world also cried. 

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

All the TV shows that have been canceled in 2018

$
0
0

Lady Dynamite Netflix

It's early in the year, but the list of canceled TV shows is already piling up.

Networks haven't announced many cancellations yet with the exception of ABC, which canceled freshman sitcom "The Mayor" and "Once Upon a Time" (which was once a ratings hit). 

On the streaming side, things are a bit different. Amazon kicked off 2018 with a slew of cancellations, announcing the end of three quirky comedies. It axed Golden Globe nominee "I Love Dick" and comedian Tig Notaro's semi-autobiographical show, "One Mississippi." 

There are many more cancellations to come, especially since networks haven't announced the fates of their fall shows. We'll update this list as more cancellations are announced. 

Here are all the shows that were canceled this year, including those from networks and Netflix:

SEE ALSO: The worst TV show of every year since 2000, according to critics

"The Mayor"— ABC, one season



"Chance"— Hulu, two seasons



"Lady Dynamite"— Netflix, two seasons



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The best current TV show on each network — from ABC to FX to Netflix

$
0
0

better call saul

In today's crowded TV landscape, there are more outlets for great shows than ever before.

TV networks and streaming services are always on the hunt for the next great series, and the competition among them has enhanced not only the breadth, but also the quality of their offerings.

To figure out which current shows are worth watching across all outlets, we turned to the reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to select the most critically acclaimed scripted show that each network and service is currently producing.

We excluded children's shows, talk shows, and docuseries, and we only selected from networks with scripted shows that had enough reviews to receive a "Fresh" designation. We also used audience scores to break any ties within networks.

 Here is the best current TV show on each network, according to critics:

SEE ALSO: The worst TV show of every year since 2000, according to critics

ABC: "Speechless"

Critic score: 98%

Audience score: 75%

Summary:"The family of a special-needs teen is good at dealing with the challenges he faces - and excellent at creating new ones."



Adult Swim: "Rick and Morty"

Critic score:97%

Audience score: 96%

Summary:"An animated series that follows the exploits of a super scientist and his not-so-bright grandson."



Amazon: "Catastrophe"

Critic score: 100%

Audience score: 92%

Summary:"American boy Rob gets Irish girl Sharon pregnant while they hook up for a week while on a business trip to London."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

REVIEW: 'The Walking Dead' mid-season premiere is going to be a frustrating sob-fest for fans

$
0
0

carl walking dead 808

Note: This is our spoiler-free review of "The Walking Dead" mid-season premiere for season eight.

After a long winter hiatus, "The Walking Dead" finally returns to AMC February 25, and when it does you're going to want some tissues on hand. You also may want to yell at your TV. Honestly, it's probably going to be a bit of both.

INSIDER reviewed an early look at the premiere, titled "Honor," and the 82-minute episode will answer some major lingering questions from the first half of season eight. What was the deal with all of those flash-forward scenes with Old Man Rick in the season eight premiere? What will happen to Carl after he was bit by one of the undead? How did Negan and his crew escape the Sanctuary?

Some of those answers will be satisfying. Some may be groan-inducing. 

One thing's for sure, if you follow the comics or think you know where the show will be heading for the rest of the season, it looks like anything is possible.

What's Hot

walking dead carl 808

This is Carl's episode. Everything that Chandler Riggs does with his character on his final episode will have you wishing the pudding-eating, cowboy-hat wearing teen had more time in the zombie apocalypse. (That's not a spoiler — Riggs has been very upfront with his impending departure from the series.) The actor has grown up on this show and his performances have never been better than on these last two episodes. 

Carl is going to make you tear up, or maybe even full-on sob, and you will be frustrated the entire time wondering if this is really how the show is going to send him off. Fans have been trying to come up with all sorts of bizarre ways that Carl could possibly survive a walker bite to the gut

His speeches throughout the mid-season premiere appear to carry a double meaning. They're equally parting words to his fictional family and a sweet goodbye to the pseudo family he grew up with over the past eight seasons. 

walking dead carl

The other stars of this episode are Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira as a distraught father and best friend. You rarely see these two as vulnerable and uncertain of how to carry forth as you do on this episode. That emotion is real, because I don't think anyone wanted Riggs to leave the show. Lincoln told Entertainment Weekly he never saw his death coming, because he thought Carl would be there down the line.

What's Not

maggie walking dead mid-season 8 premiere

You may be frustrated to learn that you will not see every character from the mid-season finale on the premiere. Typically, that's fine. But since this is Riggs' final episode on the series, it feels very wrong that he doesn't get to say goodbye to some of the other original cast members.

Even some of the characters who are on screen with him on the mid-season premiere seem to have their brief one-on-one time wasted. I won't name names, but you'll know who I'm talking about when you see it on screen more than halfway through the episode. 

This was supposed to be a giant send-off for Carl and a lot of the episode is split between Carl and the Alexandria survivors and Carol's mission to save Ezekiel from the Saviors. I love that the show is fixing some of its previous mistakes by focusing on more than one small segment of its large cast, but when you're killing off one of the show's original cast members you may want to make sure you're sending that character off right. That's where you start to lose the fandom.

carol morgan the walking dead mid-season 8 premiere

The episode also clears up a few other plot holes that fans may have been struggling with. But in the end, fans may find themselves more frustrated. You'll learn how the Saviors escaped the zombie-ridden Sanctuary, but you may be left rolling your eyes over the answer. It's not a huge revelation. The episode also gives some more clarity on its Old Man Rick flash-forwards. That answer also may not satisfy.

rick michonne old twd 801

The show also thinks that it reveals some grand surprise by showing exactly when Carl was bit. But the series undercut itself when Riggs and series showrunner Scott Gimple hinted at the reveal months ago. Anyone with a DVR can go back and find the exact moment it happened. We even broke down the scene back in December here. It would have been better placed in the mid-season finale. It feels stale now.

The bottom line: 

rick carl michonne TWD mid season premiere

If you've been invested in "The Walking Dead" at all since Negan came around — or even beforehand — you'll want to tune in to see Carl's send-off. You may wish that the entire episode revolved more around Carl. 

The scenes between Carl, Rick, and Michonne are top notch and I could have watched an entire episode with those three alone. Those who were looking for some satisfying answers to questions may be left a bit disappointed that any clarity they were looking for didn't have more depth.

"The Walking Dead" mid-season premiere is neither one of the strongest nor one of the weakest premiere episodes. It's a fine episode of the series. And that may not be good enough for a show that is eight seasons deep if it plans to keep powering on for years as AMC's flagship show. It makes this fan a little hesitant of the show's future direction without Riggs, whose character is still alive and a driving force in the comics. 

Grade:

C+

"The Walking Dead" will return to AMC February 25 at 9 p.m.

You can follow along with our "Walking Dead" coverage here and watch a trailer for the series' return below. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What happens to your body when you start exercising regularly

The season 2 trailer for 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' promises more outrageous humor — and terror for the orphans

$
0
0

a series of unfortunate events season 2 hospital

  • The trailer for the second season of Netflix's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" is here.
  • The show follows the story of the Baudelaire orphans, who try to escape the clutches of the evil Count Olaf (played by Neil Patrick Harris), who wants their family fortune.
  • The second season adapts the next five books of Lemony Snicket's (AKA Daniel Handler's) series: "The Austere Academy,""The Ersatz Elevator,""The Vile Village,""The Hostile Hospital," and "The Carnivorous Carnival."
  • The trailer promises more misfortune for the Baudelaires, included an unwanted medical operation and man-eating lions.
  • Watch the trailer below.

 

Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A Georgetown professor explains how Martin Luther King Jr. 'has been severely whitewashed'

'Altered Carbon' creator addresses fears that the show's star won't return for season 2

$
0
0

Joel Kinnaman as Takeshi Kovacs Altered Carbon Netflix 1

  • On Netflix's "Altered Carbon," characters can have their minds placed into a new body.
  • Lead actor Joel Kinnaman (Takeshi Kovacs) signed onto a new series with Amazon.
  • People thought this meant he's gone from "Altered Carbon" for good.
  • "Altered Carbon" creator Laeta Kalogridis says this isn't necessarily the case.
  • In an interview with EW, Kalogridis said there's not even a confirmed season two yet.
  • If it does happen, the timing for filming could always work out for Kinnaman's return. 

 

Though there's no official word on whether Netflix's "Altered Carbon" will return for a second season, fans are already wondering if the lead actor Joel Kinnaman will reprise his role as Takeshi Kovacs. But according to showrunner Laeta Kalogridis, there's always a chance that he'll be back. 

"This is a world that allows you to 'never say never,'" Kalogridis told Entertainment Weekly.

"Altered Carbon" includes a narrative device that makes recasting the show extremely convenient. Characters can have their consciousness downloaded into new bodies (called "resleeving"), which means a variety of actors can play the same role. 

The lead character, Takeshi Kovacs, was played by three different actors on season one. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, the main star we saw as Kovacs could be out. Kinnaman has signed onto a new Amazon Studios series called "Hanna," which led to several reports that he wouldn't return for season two of "Altered Carbon."

But "Altered Carbon" creator and showrunner Laeta Kalogridis says people are jumping the gun. 

altered carbon

"First of all, a blanket statement that everybody seems to not-quite-know yet but I'm hyper-aware of: I don't have a second season," Kalogridis told Entertainment Weekly. "And I didn't make a deal with Joel, or much of anybody, beyond the first season due to the structure of the books."

This supports what several members of the cast said during a round table interview ahead of the "Altered Carbon" premiere on Netflix, weeks before the news that Kinnaman was joining the Amazon series "Hanna."

"I think our characters are going to be resleeved in the next season," Kinnaman told reporters on January 30.

Takeshi Kovacs surprised Altered Carbon finale

His co-stars Martha Higareda (Kristin Ortega) and James Purefoy (Laurens Bancroft) chimed in, emphasizing that they didn't know for certain yet.

"We actually have no idea what's going on," Higareda said.

"Because our characters could continue but they could be resleeved," Purefoy added.

"There are two other Kovacs in the first season, so if I was a showrunner I'd put them in a new sleeve because that'd be pretty cool," Kinnaman said. 

Takeshi Kovacs and Reileen Kawahara Altered Carbon Netflix

Flashing forward to this week, Kalogridis responded to the reports about Kinnaman joining the Amazon series and speculation about "Altered Carbon" season two.

"So what's going on is: I don’t have a second season yet," she said. "I know Joel [Kinnaman] will be amazing in whatever he does. I don't know what their schedule is, or what our schedule is. And this is a world that allows you to 'never say never.'"

Kalogridis also told EW that a potential second season of "Altered Carbon" could explore a new planet and/or new group of people, completely removing the need for Kinnaman or other main season one cast members to return. You can read her full interview with EW here.

Representatives for Kinnaman didn't immediately respond to INSIDER's request for comment on his future with "Altered Carbon."

For more on "Altered Carbon," read INSIDER's full coverage here.

Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What happens to your body when you start exercising regularly

Fame has its drawbacks on season 2 of Donald Glover's Emmy-winning comedy 'Atlanta' — watch the trailer

$
0
0

Atlanta Donald Glover

  • FX just released the first trailer for the second season of Donald Glover's "Atlanta," which has the subtitle "Robbin' Season."
  • On the comedy, Glover plays a young man who manages his cousin, the up-and-coming rapper Paper Boi (played by Brian Tyree Henry).
  • After gaining traction with a radio hit during season one, Paper Boi is more recognizable on the upcoming season. But the trailer shows that fame also has its drawbacks.
  • The show won two Emmys and two Golden Globes after its first season.
  • "Atlanta" returns March 1 at 10 p.m.
  • Watch the trailer below.

Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why most scientists don't care about these incredible UFO videos


Rob Lowe explains how he roped his non-Hollywood sons into doing reality TV

$
0
0

John Owen Lowe, Rob Lowe and Matthew Lowe

  • Rob Lowe has two sons, Matthew and John Owen.
  • Both boys have mostly stayed away from acting, but starred in their own reality show with their dad.
  • "The Lowe Files" was Rob's idea.
  • The show took the Lowe men to haunted locations and sites of unsolved mysteries. 


Rob Lowe's sons may not have followed him into acting, but they were roped into a small reality show all thanks to their interest in mystery and adventure.

"It was a great way for me to spend time with my boys and go and look for stuff that we've always talked about together as a family and laughed over and argued over," Lowe told INSIDER about shooting "The Lowe Files" while promoting his new gig as a spokesman for Atkins.

The 53-year-old father and sons Matthew, 24, and John Owen, 22, shot the nine-episode reality series for A&E. The series took them to various locations around the country as they explored haunted areas and dug into unsolved mysteries and superstitions. Lowe came up with the idea after the channel reached out to him.

"My sons and I have always loved adventures together, and the people at A&E had asked me if there was anything in the reality space that I would ever consider doing," he said. "I said, 'Well I'd like to do something that would be like the shows that I loved growing up and the shows I love now, like 'Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown' and you mix that in with 'Scooby-Doo...' and they said they could do it."

the lowe files

John Owen told Build that their dad's idea came as surprise.

"It was a bit of a double take, but also, we were really excited," he said. "It was an opportunity to spend a bunch of time together that we otherwise would not have had."

Despite growing up around film sets, both sons have largely stayed away from show business. Though John Owen had a guest role on his dad's show "The Grinder," he's a student at Stanford. Matthew is currently studying at Loyola Law School.

The boys were at school and Lowe was shooting "Code Black" when the opportunity to take on their own show arrived. They met on weekends to film the episodes.

"We literally had to put aside our day jobs and then travel the country on the weekend," Lowe said. "It was very, very arduous. We would literally never have a day off because of it."

Party pic. #newyearseve #boys

A post shared by Rob Lowe (@robloweofficial) on Jan 1, 2018 at 3:26am PST on

Lowe said he was surprised by how "natural" his sons were on camera, but that it was all authentic.

"They've grown up around all of it — being on set they know how movies and TV shows are made. There was no real mystery and they weren't nervous at all," he said. "It really is exactly what we're like. All of our little relationship foibles and quirks were on full display."

No plans are set for a second season, but Lowe said he is up for it.

"If we ever got our schedules back in sync, I would certainly do it again," he said.

"The Lowe Files" aired in the fall of 2017, but you can watch it on various streaming platforms.

Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's what might happen if North Korea launched a nuclear weapon

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: 26 actors who have been killed off 'Game of Thrones'

$
0
0

Shireen Baratheon Kerry Ingram twitter Game of Thrones

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones."

No TV show kills off characters quite as tragically as HBO's "Game of Thrones" does. From minor characters to the series' first main protagonist Ned Stark, dozens of key actors have come and gone over the years.

We've rounded up the biggest character deaths and checked in on the actors to see what they're up to now.

From voicing video game characters to starring in new Netflix series, keep reading to see what your favorite ex-"Game of Thrones" actors are doing now.

SEE ALSO: All the 'Game of Thrones' deaths, ranked from least tragic to most tragic

Daenerys' hateful brother Viserys was played by Harry Lloyd. Viserys was killed in season one by having molten gold poured over his head.



Now Harry Lloyd is slated to star in a new spy thriller series from Starz called "Counterpart," though there's no premiere date yet.

Watch the trailer for "Counterpart" here.



Mark Addy brought the formidable Robert Baratheon to life before his character's death in season one.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This $400 smart-TV box lets you control your Apple TV, cable box, and everything else with your voice

$
0
0

caavo tv box

  • Caavo is a new smart-TV device from a startup of the same name.
  • Caavo manages all the stuff you plug into your TV like Apple TV, cable boxes, DVD players, and video game consoles.
  • It's a great device if you're tired of managing multiple remotes and inputs, but the $400 price tag might turn a lot of people away.


Here's my living room TV setup:

I have a 65-inch Samsung smart TV. Plus a Verizon Fios cable box. Plus an Apple TV. Plus a PlayStation 4. Plus a Nintendo Switch. All of those devices have their own remotes, and switching between them means juggling a variety of different controllers cluttering my coffee table.

This is an all-to-familiar situation for many. As more people turn to streaming services pumped through boxes like Roku or Apple TV, there's still no easy or coherent way to manage all the stuff you subscribe to and just get what you want to watch when you want to watch it. And most cable-box interfaces are still stuck in the early 2000s. Good luck finding that show you DVR'd.

A startup called Caavo thinks it solved this problem with a new $400 box that promises to create one unified hub for all the stuff you plug into your TV. I've been testing a Caavo with my complicated setup for the last week or so, and it works as advertised for the most part. But it's really only ideal for people with three or more things plugged into their TV. The convenience might not be worth the heavy price tag for the rest of you.

How it works

caavo watch list

Caavo is a long, thin box that lets you plug in up to eight different devices through HDMI. That's about twice as many ports as most high-end TVs have. You then plug the Caavo into your TV and use it for everything you want to watch or play from — cable boxes, DVRs, video game consoles, Rokus, Apple TVs, Amazon Fire TVs, Chromecasts, DVD players, and so on.

Caavo's software is based on Android, and it can automatically detect what your devices are. Caavo also comes with a universal remote that controls your TV, the Caavo box, and all your other devices.

If you want something even easier, you can use the remote's built-in microphone to tell Caavo what you want to watch and let the machine do all the switching and searching for you. (Caavo also works with Amazon Alexa, so you can use voice commands on your Echo instead of the remote. But that feature just launched in beta, so I haven't had a chance to thoroughly test it.)

That's the real benefit to Caavo. This isn't just an HDMI hub paired with a universal remote; it's a streamlined interface for almost everything you want to watch.

Caavo's software keeps track of everything you have plugged into your TV and does the heavy lifting for you. For example, telling Caavo to "watch 'Stranger Things'" will automatically switch inputs to your your Apple TV (or Roku or whatever), launch Netflix, and play the latest episode. 

It also works for cable boxes. Saying, "watch ESPN" will automatically tune to ESPN, for example. Caavo can also access content recorded on some DVR models, but it didn't work with the one I use through Verizon Fios.

One interface for everything

caavo tv Sources

Caavo's software was compatible with almost everything I use, and it covers all the basics like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and iTunes. If you ask for a show that's available on multiple services, Caavo gives you the option to select the one you want.

But there are some missing pieces. For example, when I asked Caavo for "The Good Place," it brought up an option to watch the first season on Netflix, but not the NBC app, which I had been using to watch season two. A Caavo representative told me the device doesn't index all streaming services yet, so there are likely a bunch of other holes like this I haven't run into yet.

Besides the voice control, my favorite aspect of Caavo was using just one remote for everything. I locked all my remotes away in my entertainment center cupboard and used the Caavo remote for everything without too many problems. That alone almost made it worth it. Caavo takes away the stress of managing multiple devices and remotes.

The software is clean too. Setup can be a bit tedious depending on how many devices you have. (It took me about 15 minutes to get my system going.) But everything just works once you're finished. There's a big "Caavo" button in the center of the remote that you can use to switch between devices, and you select the device you want to switch to, instead of having to remember which HDMI port number you plugged it into. The other menus are clean and easy to navigate, but you don't even need to look at them if you use voice controls for everything.

Still, Caavo feels more like a hack for today's fragmented internet TV ecosystem rather than a realization of the dream that all your TV stuff can live on the same platform. When you ask Caavo to watch something on a streaming service, you can see it working in the background, adjusting the input and navigating where it needs to go. It can take up to a minute for what you want to actually appear on your screen. So while it's a great first start, it's not as ideal as having this intelligent software built into a TV. 

Not for everyone

Overall, Caavo pulled off an impressive feat on its first try. There are a lot of great connected TV boxes out there, but none of them provide a singular solution for everything you want to watch. Caavo fills in a lot of the gaps, and it's the best answer I've seen so far if you find yourself routinely juggling between multiple TV inputs.

Still, the price can be hard to swallow. You can buy several Apple TVs or Rokus for the price of one $400 Caavo. I also wouldn't recommend getting a Caavo if you only have one or two devices plugged into your TV. 

But if you're like me and subscribe to multiple streaming services across multiple different devices, Caavo will be a great fit in your living room.

SEE ALSO: Insiders say Google never answered a key question about its Alphabet gamble and now it's coming back to haunt them

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: People are obsessed with this Google app that finds your fine art doppelgänger

Netflix has a new 'Black Mirror' dating app that tells you how long your relationship will last

$
0
0

black mirror

  • Netflix's "Black Mirror" has created a website app, based on the fan-favorite episode "Hang the DJ," that puts an expiration date on your relationship.
  • Go to www.coach.dating to see how long you and your partner will last.

 

As a Valentine's Day promotion, Netflix's dystopian series "Black Mirror" has created a dating app based on "Hang the DJ," a fan-favorite episode of the show.

The show's Twitter account shared a clip promoting www.coach.dating. The link leads to a simple app inspired by the episode's dating "System." In the show, the system pairs people based on compatibility, and tells them through a digital "coach" app when their relationship will end. They then have to move onto the next person until they find their ideal match — decided by the system.

black mirror

The app asks you to share a link with your partner. Upon clicking together, you can see how long the "Coach" predicts your relationship will last. 

Twitter users replied to the "Black Mirror" tweet with a wide range of responses. 

Watch "Hang the DJ" on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: The 27 best romantic comedy movies of all time, according to critics

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Jamie Dimon isn't losing sleep over the stock market's biggest fear

The 9 best jokes from Chris Rock's new Netflix special

$
0
0

Chris rock

  • Chris Rock's new Netflix special, "Tamborine," covers a lot of ground.
  • Rock brings his typical incisive commentary on topics including police shootings, President Trump, the trials of his own marriage.
  • It's Rock's first hour-long comedy special in ten years. 

 

It’s been ten years since Chris Rock released an hour-long comedy special. To say that decade was eventful, both for the world at large and for Rock personally, would be a drastic understatement. Donald Trump is president. Rock is divorced. Police are shooting unarmed black children in the streets. Rock’s close friend Louis C.K. is as close to excommunicated from Hollywood as one can be without having to walk around in the stocks while villagers throw old fruit at you.

In Chris Rock: Tamborine, which debuted Wednesday on Netflix, Rock doesn’t shy away from all (but one) of these topics. If you’re hoping he’ll address his longtime collaborator’s admitted sexual misconduct— if you’re hoping he’ll talk about how C.K. pressured female comedians to watch or listen to him masturbate— you’re going to be disappointed. Still, the second half of this surprisingly intimate, modest special delves deeply into the uncomfortable territory of Rock’s divorce from his ex-wife, Malaak Compton, his infidelity, and his addiction to pornography.

The thread that ties this all together is Rock’s comparing marriage to being in a band and sometimes having to play the titular tambourine. This is not the strutting Chris Rock of Bring the Pain, grinning as though the act of telling his jokes is getting away with something monumental. This is a melancholy, lonely Chris Rock trying to make sense of where he went wrong. In between these meditations are some pretty great jokes, the best of which have been reproduced below.

SEE ALSO: The best current TV show on each network — from ABC to FX to Netflix

On police shootings

You’d think every once in a while the cops would shoot a white kid just to make it look good. You’d think they’d look at their dead n---- calendar and go, “Oh my god, we’re up to 16. We gotta shoot a white kid quick.” “Which one?” “Ah, the first you see singing Cardi B.” Honestly, I wanna live in a world with real equality. I want to live in a world where an equal amount of white kids are shot every month. An equal world. I wanna see white mothers on TV cryin’, standin’ next to Al Sharpton, talkin’ about “We need justice for Chad! We need justice for Chad! He was just coming home from racquetball practice!”

The first half of Tamborine is mostly taken up with classic Rock material pointing out the hypocrisy and imbalance of race relations in America. The sentiments and the imagery are provocative — only a master like Rock could make dead children funny — but it occasionally feels like he’s trying to get through this stuff because he knows the audience expects him to weigh in. The Trump bits later fall into this same category. As rote as it might be, it still works, because it’s Chris Rock threading the needle without breaking a sweat.



On the police

I don’t think they pay cops enough. I don’t think they pay police enough. And you get what you pay for. Here’s the thing, man. Whenever the cops gun down an innocent black man, they always say the same thing. “Well, it’s not most cops. It’s just a few bad apples. It’s just a few bad apples.” Bad apple? That’s a lovely name for murderer. That almost sounds nice. I’ve had a bad apple. It was tart, but it didn’t choke me out. Here’s the thing. Here’s the thing. I know being a cop is hard. I know that sh--’s dangerous. I know it is, okay? But some jobs can’t have bad apples. Some jobs, everybody gotta be good. Like … pilots. Ya know, American Airlines can’t be like, “Most of our pilots like to land. We just got a few bad apples that like to crash into mountains. Please bear with us.”

The comparison to pilots is one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” common-sense moments that elicit as many claps as they do laughs. Rock has always been adept at telling his audiences what they already know while still making it entertaining.



On the justice system

Some say young black men are an endangered species. That’s not true, because endangered species are protected by the government. You got to punch your black son in the f---ing face. Hard. Yeah, I said it. On Netflix, I said that sh--. It’s important that your black son follow your instructions. It’s the difference between life and death. Okay? Okay? ’Cause we got a crazy justice system out here. We got a justice system for rich and for poor, for black, for white. We got a justice system where two people can do the exact same crime, in the exact same place, at the exact same time and get a different sentence. Only in America. We gotta change this justice system. Yo, the American justice system should be like Walmart. It should be just like Walmart. “Hey, if you can find a lighter sentence, we’ll match it!”

That first line is probably the best of the whole special. It’s so good, in fact, that I had to convince myself I hadn’t read it on Twitter before. (I hadn’t.) The material before and after it are a superfluous setup and tag about training kids to be wary of anything white through an increasingly cruel series of tricks. It’s Bernie Mac–esque and doesn’t fully work, but it’s all worth it for that one line.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Viewing all 9480 articles
Browse latest View live