Ted McGinley and Christa Miller in ‘Shrinking’ Season 3, premiering January 28, 2026 on Apple TV.
In keeping with other shows co-created by Bill Lawrence (‘Spin City’), ‘Shrinking’ has long since evolved from a focus on Jason Segel and Harrison Ford’s therapist characters to embrace a wider circle of friends and relations.
The third season keeps that idea and feeling intact, and also maintains the entertainingly loose comedy atmosphere while also delivering the occasional emotional gut punch.
Script and Direction
Devin Kawaoka and Michael Urie in ‘Shrinking’ Season 3, premiering January 28, 2026 on Apple TV.
Lawrence, Segel and co-creator Brett Goldstein (‘Ted Lasso’) lead the writing team down some familiar paths here, but that doesn’t stop the show from still being a successful, warm, easy watch.
There’s rarely much that is truly challenging here (though some topics, such as Parkinson’s and grief are still explored), but the vibe really is a group of characters you’re happy to spend time with.
Jessica Williams and Damon Wayans Jr. in ‘Shrinking’ Season 3, premiering January 28, 2026 on Apple TV.
The core ensemble remains excellent, funny and heartfelt as they follow their various paths.
But it’s in the new additions that we find some real fun –– Michael J. Fox shines as a Parkinson’s patient who interacts with Ford, while Sherry Cola is great as one of Gabby’s new therapy clients who is reticent to open up.
Final Thoughts
Jason Segel and Lukita Maxwell in ‘Shrinking’ Season 3, premiering January 28, 2026 on Apple TV.
The new season doesn’t exactly break massive new ground, but with a show like ‘Shrinking,’ you neither expect or want that.
What it does do is offer more chances for the characters to interact in fun, warm ways.
‘Shrinking’ Season 3 receives 76 out of 100.
Ted McGinley and Luke Tennie in ‘Shrinking’ Season 3, premiering January 28, 2026 on Apple TV.
What’s the plot of ‘Shrinking’ Season 3?
‘Shrinking’ follows a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives… including his own.
The 77th Emmys hosted by Nate Bargatze will air on CBS and Paramount+ September 14th.
Preview:
‘The Studio’, ‘Hacks’ and more won at the Emmy Awards.
Noah Wyle and Britt Lower were named lead actors in a drama for their shows.
Nate Bargatze hosted the show.
This year’s Emmy Awards were held on Sunday night, and there were a lot of expected winners, including repeat appearances from Team ‘Hacks‘ (Jean Smart scored fourth award) and ‘The Traitors’.
AulZezx8OrKuKzuMPlPnE3
Nate Bargatze hosted –– but beyond a relatively fun opening monologue taking expected swipes at TV such as ‘The Bear’ qualifying as comedy rather than drama, he wasn’t all that impressive as emcee for the night. The only element that worked was a running total donation to the Boys & Girls Club of America he promised, which went up and down according to how well winners kept to a 45-second speech limit.
Stephen Colbert was the first presenter of the night, and in a nod to his show being cancelled by CBS (the channel that ran the ceremony this year), asked nominee Harrison Ford to get his resume to Steven Spielberg.
The directing for a Limited Series category featured five women to one man. Of course the man won it! ‘Adolescence’ overseer Philip Barantini took the trophy — the limited series itself won a clutch of awards.
The 2025 Emmy nominees were announced this morning.
‘Severance’, ‘The Penguin’ and ‘The Studio’ scored the most nominations.
‘Paradise’ and Netflix limited series ‘Adolescence’ were among the new arrivals.
The 2025 Emmy Award nominees were announced this morning by ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ actor Harvey Guillen and ‘Running Point’s Brenda Song, though the Television Academy spurred some grumbling by choosing to have two categories –– Outstanding Talk Series and Reality Competition Series –– four hours early on ‘CBS Mornings.’
This year, from a critical and awards standpoint, it was clear that the second season of Apple TV+ sci-fi drama ‘Severance’ was worth waiting for –– it nabbed 27 nominations, including Drama Series and a shot at a clutch of acting awards.
Harrison Ford in ‘Shrinking,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
It was also a good day for aging actors in terms of awards: Harrison Ford landed his first career Emmy nomination for his role in ‘Shrinking’, making him the second oldest actor to earn one, while Kathy Bates became the oldest woman nominated in the Drama Lead Actress category thanks to her work on ‘Matlock.’
Not having such a great time of it? Elisabeth Moss, who failed to land a nomination for the final season of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, while ‘Yellowjackets’ was notably absent from the list and despite the show and its stars repeating, ‘The Bear’s creator Christopher Storer didn’t make the cut this time around.
(L to R) Sandra Diaz-Twine, Trishelle Cannatella, Chris ‘C.T.’ Tamburello, Alan Cumming, Kate Chastain, Mercedes “MJ” Javid in ‘The Traitors’. Photo by: Euan Cherry/Peacock.
Now, Ford is playing the President once again in Marvel’s ‘Captain America: Brave New World‘, which opens in theaters on February 14th and sees the actor taking over the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross from the late William Hurt, opposite Anthony Mackie in the title role.
In honor of Ford’s new film, Moviefone is counting down the 30 best movies of Harrison Ford’s illustrious career, including his latest!
(L to R) Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in ‘Cowboys & Aliens.’ Photo: Universal Pictures / Timothy White.
A stranger (Daniel Craig) stumbles into the desert town of Absolution with no memory of his past and a futuristic shackle around his wrist. With the help of mysterious beauty Ella (Olivia Wilde) and the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford), he finds himself leading an unlikely posse of cowboys, outlaws, and Apache warriors against a common enemy from beyond this world in an epic showdown for survival.
Respected lawyer, Henry Turner (Ford) survives a convenience-store shooting only to find he has lost his memory, and has serious speech and mobility issues. After also losing his job—where he no longer ‘fits in’—his loving wife (Annette Bening) and daughter (Mikki Allen) give him all their love and support.
Frankie McGuire (Brad Pitt), one of the IRA’s deadliest assassins, draws an American family into the crossfire of terrorism. But when he is sent to the U.S. to buy weapons, Frankie is housed with the family of Tom O’Meara (Ford), a New York cop who knows nothing about Frankie’s real identity. Their surprising friendship, and Tom’s growing suspicions, forces Frankie to choose between the promise of peace or a lifetime of murder.
Barney (Sylvester Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.
Finding himself in a new era, approaching retirement, Indy (Ford) wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival (Mads Mikkelsen), Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artifact doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
(L to R) Bonnie Bedelia and Harrison Ford in ‘Presumed Innocent’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Rusty Sabich (Ford) is a deputy prosecutor engaged in an obsessive affair with a coworker (Greta Scacchi) who is murdered. Soon after, he’s accused of the crime. And his fight to clear his name becomes a whirlpool of lies and hidden passions.
A couple of high school graduates (Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard) spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.
Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is hired by a mysterious client’s brusque aide to tail a young couple. Tracking the pair through San Francisco’s Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan (John Cazale) manage to record a cryptic conversation between them. Tormented by memories of a previous case that ended badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the resulting tape, trying to determine if the couple is in danger.
Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo (Ford) and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and his army of Stormtroopers.
(L to R) John Mahoney and Harrison Ford in ‘Frantic’. Photo: Warner Bros.
The wife (Betty Buckley) of an American doctor (Ford) suddenly vanishes in Paris and, to find her, he navigates a puzzling web of language, locale, laissez-faire cops, triplicate-form filling bureaucrats and a defiant, mysterious waif (Emmanuelle Seigner) who knows more than she tells.
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, “does not exist, nor will it ever exist.” His goal is to locate – and eliminate – a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.
Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) leads a mission to rescue his friend Han Solo (Ford) from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, while the Emperor seeks to destroy the Rebellion once and for all with a second dreaded Death Star.
After arriving in India, Indiana Jones (Ford) is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees – and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Ford), Sam (Anthony Mackie) finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is an ambitious secretary with a unique approach for climbing the ladder to success. When her classy, but villainous boss (Sigourney Weaver) breaks a leg skiing, Tess takes over her office, her apartment and even her wardrobe. She creates a deal with a handsome investment banker (Ford) that will either take her to the top, or finish her off for good.
When Claire Spencer (Michelle Pfeiffer) starts hearing ghostly voices and seeing spooky images, she wonders if an otherworldly spirit is trying to contact her. All the while, her husband (Ford) tries to reassure her by telling her it’s all in her head. But as Claire investigates, she discovers that the man she loves might know more than he’s letting on.
The powerful story of Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), the legendary baseball player who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he joined the roster of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The film follows the innovative Dodgers’ general manager Branch Rickey (Ford), the MLB executive who first signed Robinson to the minors and then helped to bring him up to the show.
(L to R) Harrison Ford, Liesel Matthews and Wendy Crewson in ‘Air Force One’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Russian terrorists (Gary Oldman) conspire to hijack the aircraft with the president (Ford) and his family on board. The commander in chief finds himself facing an impossible predicament: give in to the terrorists and sacrifice his family, or risk everything to uphold his principles – and the integrity of the nation.
Allie Fox (Ford), an American inventor exhausted by the perceived danger and degradation of modern society, decides to escape with his wife (Helen Mirren) and children to Belize. In the jungle, he tries with mad determination to create a utopian community with disastrous results.
In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones (Ford) to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery). He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man’s notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody), along with Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!
Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and dashing captain Han Solo (Ford) team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.
A sheltered Amish child (Lukas Haas) is the sole witness of a brutal murder in a restroom at a Philadelphia train station, and he must be protected. The assignment falls to a taciturn detective (Ford) who goes undercover in a Pennsylvania Dutch community. On the farm, he slowly assimilates despite his urban grit and forges a romantic bond with the child’s beautiful mother (Kelly McGillis).
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard (Ford) is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife (Sela Ward) and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble (Ford) escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.
The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda (Frank Oz). But Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), cocky Han Solo (Ford), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and droids C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.
Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
When Dr. Indiana Jones (Ford) – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.
“You’re not Steve Rogers,” growls President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) at Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) during one especially tense moment in ‘Captain America: Brave New World.’ And while Chris Evans’ portrayal of the original Cap remains an iconic element of the first 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mackie’s Sam Wilson certainly holds his own as the current owner of the shield and – according to this film – last Avenger standing.
Mackie is terrific in the film, as is Ford – who’s awake and engaged, unlike in ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ – and the movie itself, directed by Julius Onah, is neither a game-changer like ‘Captain America: Civil War’ nor an outright embarrassment like ‘Thor: Love and Thunder.’ With much of Phases 4 and 5 set in space, the quantum realm, or another universe, it’s also refreshing to watch an earthbound Marvel adventure for a change. While it still requires some homework – watching ‘The Incredible Hulk’ or ‘Eternals’ would be a good start – it’s an entertaining, engrossing action thriller carried by its leads’ charisma and flashes of that old Marvel allure.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ opens with the election of former Hulk hunter and Avengers hater Ross to the presidency, but it’s clear from the start that not all is well with him. He’s estranged from his daughter and haunted by his past, to the point where he summons Sam Wilson to his office and asks him to rebuild Earth’s Mightiest Heroes after loathing them for years (as usual, where the members who aren’t dead or retired are currently hanging out is not really discussed).
Sam is understandably suspicious, since it was just a few years ago that Ross (back when he was Secretary of State) had Wilson and other superheroes thrown in the maximum-security prison known as the Raft. And Sam himself is still coming to terms with the enormous responsibility and pressure of wielding the shield, although his confidence is boosted by original super soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), who’s still getting over his bitterness regarding the way he was treated by his own government (uh, yeah, watch ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ too).
Ross has other things on his mind as well: the giant Celestial that fell into the ocean in ‘Eternals’ a few years back turns out to be made out of an incredible, previously unknown element which Ross calls “adamantium,” a word which should set off five-alarm sirens in fanboys’ brains. Wary of what could happen should adamantium get out in the world, Ross is trying to nail down a groundbreaking treaty with Japan – in whose territory the Celestial landed – to explore the element’s uses peacefully, a sign that he’s desperate to change his formerly bellicose ways.
No sooner does Ross announce the finalization of the treaty, however, then there is a terrorist attack on his life. How that attack takes place and who does it throws everything – including the cautious rapprochement between Sam and the president – into chaos, but Sam, with the help of the newly minted Falcon, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), is determined to find out exactly what happened, who is behind it all, and what their ultimate agenda is.
The rest of the story involves clashes with Serpent terrorist organization leader Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito), presidential security chief Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas), and various other players, with Sam unsure of who he can trust and who might turn at a moment’s notice. At the heart of it all is a ghostly apparition from the early days of the MCU in the form of Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), who’s pulling the strings for purposes unknown.
‘Brave New World’ deliberately channels the paranoid thriller bona fides of what is still one of the MCU’s finest films, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier,’ although in this case Julius Onah’s direction doesn’t have nearly the style of Anthony and Joe Russo’s work (although if this film went through massive reshoots as reported, it still mostly holds together). And there is a lot of clunky exposition in the script (which bears five writers in the credits) to either recap what’s happening or bring us up to speed on some of the plot points from other movies.
But even if ‘Brave New World’ chugs along instead of truly soaring, it’s still a tight two hours of superhero entertainment. Marvel’s biggest successes have led to outsized expectations and an eventual critical backlash, but it’s almost unfair to expect each entry to be a ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ or an ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ ‘Brave New World’ is a solid double, a fun, action-packed adventure that occasionally channels the vibe of older, finer MCU movies. It may rattle or stall out here and there, but it gets where it’s going with efficiency and energy.
As mentioned earlier, Anthony Mackie handles the lead role with aplomb and grace, differentiating himself from the Evans version of Cap simply by virtue of the fact that he’s not a superhuman; he can get hurt, sometimes badly, he doesn’t have super strength, and he has to depend a bit more on the accoutrements of his tricked-out uniform (courtesy of Wakanda) than his predecessor did. This is a vulnerable Cap whose confidence occasionally wavers: at one point he confesses to an old friend, “[Steve] stopped two alien invasions. What made me think I could follow that?” Yet he also throws himself unconditionally into battle in the best tradition of his title, while also deploying empathy as a tool in his arsenal.
It might be enticing to wonder what the late William Hurt would have done with “Thunderbolt” Ross’ biggest MCU appearance to date, but Harrison Ford steps smoothly into the role and embraces Ross’s steely demeanor and the character’s seemingly earnest yearning to atone for his past. But that past still catches up to him, making the character both flawed and tragic, and Ford chomps down on it in a livelier performance that we’ve seen from him in a while. Of course, it’s no spoiler to mention his transformation into Red Hulk, and the climactic fight between him, Cap, and a good chunk of the armed forces mostly lives up to its billing, some rough visuals aside.
Giancarlo Esposito and Carl Lumbly are reliably excellent with less to do, with the latter especially bringing an emotional center to the movie. Shira Haas is striking as Ruth, the president’s security chief with a past of her own, while Danny Ramirez delivers enthusiasm but not a ton of personality as the new Falcon. Our favorite? Tim Blake Nelson, returning after 17 years to the character known as The Leader in the comics, who’s sinister, snarky, and – in his cheesily macabre prosthetics and glowing eyes – rather eerie.
It’s a bit jarring to see the U.S. and Japan, of all countries, almost get into a shooting war, but fear not, the politics of ‘Brave New World’ are not nearly as topical as those of ‘The Winter Soldier’ or, hell, even the original ‘Iron Man.’ In fact, the geopolitical ramifications here are, while perhaps important for the MCU, generally an inch deep.
And that’s probably the biggest criticism of ‘Brave New World’: it echoes the MCU’s past, sometimes literally, but doesn’t quite channel the surprising emotional depth that the first decade managed to convey (one scene near the end, a heart-to-heart between Sam and someone else, recaptures some of the chemistry of the characters in that first round of films). The script and visuals, while stronger than other recent outings, still fall down from time to time. But ‘Brave New World’ also manages to get back up and keep punching, delivering superhero antics without a whole lot of pretension. It may not be especially brave or new, but it’s fun.
38PIIqJ72BWyVUfWZQqug4
What is the plot of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?
Now operating as Captain America, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) uncovers a deadly conspiracy centered around President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) and fights to discover who is behind it before an international war breaks out.
Who is in the cast of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America
Harrison Ford as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross/Red Hulk
(L to R) Jake Gyllenhaal and Renate Reinsve in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Launching on Apple TV+ on Wednesday June 12th with its first two episodes (before arriving weekly), ‘Presumed Innocent’ represents the latest attempt to capture a story in a new medium.
While not a direct remake of the 1990 Harrison Fordmovie (co-written and directed by Alan J. Pakula), this new adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1987 novel finds Jake Gyllenhaal taking over the role of Rusty Sabich, a prosecutor who finds himself in the middle of a legal firestorm when he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a colleague with whom he used to have a passionate affair.
Does ‘Presumed Innocent’ Acquit Itself Effectively?
(L to R) Jake Gyllenhaal and Bill Camp in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
‘Presumed Innocent’ both benefits and finds a disadvantage in the expanded runtime offered by a series adaptation. It has the scope and space to explore the story more fully than a movie might, yet in places tends to instead plump for filler that doesn’t always add much in the way of value.
Storylines beyond Gyllenhaal’s central narrative tend to suffer somewhat from that bloat; while it’s good to see the role of his wife (played by Ruth Negga) given more shading, what the producers choose to highlight isn’t always as compelling as it might have been.
‘Presumed Innocent’: Script and Direction
(L to R) O-T Fagbenle and Peter Sarsgaard in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Legal thrillers that feature a hefty chunk of courtroom time can be tough to pull off, yet ‘Presumed Innocent’ is in the seemingly safe hands of David E. Kelley, the man behind such shows as ‘The Practice’, ‘Ally McBeal’ and, more recently, Netflix’s ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’.
Yet even he has proved to not always be quite so reliable, the likes of another Netflix effort, ‘A Man in Full’ proving to have gotten away from him. ‘Presumed Innocent’ is certainly more effective than that rambling effort, especially when focused on Gyllenhaal’s character’s legal dilemma.
There are still issues –– including the brutality of the murder and the inclusion of sex scenes that go beyond simply helping to tell the story and becoming gratuitous at times.
(L to R) Nana Mensah and Noma Dumezweni in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Director Anne Sewitsky (‘Castle Rock’, ‘Black Mirror’) is among the executive producers and handles the first two episodes and episode eight, while Emmy Greg Yaitanes (‘House’, ‘House of the Dragon’) holds a similar producer role and directs episodes three through seven.
In true Apple style, the result is stylish and clearly expensive (check out some of the houses on display, and there is a solid chunk of location work), but it’s also sometimes a little overly grim and washed out in terms of color. While the show is naturally serious in tone, it’s sometimes less than thrilling directorially.
‘Presumed Innocent’: Performances
Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Gyllenhaal is here credited as an executive producer, so he’s obviously had some impact on the role. He plays Sabich with typical, slightly smug intensity and it’s hard not to wonder in the early going whether he was the wrong choice for the role, especially given the stamp Harrison Ford put on it in the movie version.
Yet as he eases into the part and Sabich’s world starts to disintegrate in the wake of the accusation, things certainly improve, and he brings plenty to the central part. Sabich is a watchable character to follow as he becomes more and more desperate, ever more willing to stretch the bounds of the law to help his case.
Ruth Negga as Barbara Sabich
(L to R) Ruth Negga and Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Negga, a veteran of roles in shows and movies including ‘Preacher’ and ‘Loving’, is always impressive, though here she’s sometimes hamstrung by the material the show gives her to work with. As her connection to her husband becomes distant upon learning what he’s suspected of, she spirals. Though her therapy sessions with Dr. Liz Rush (Lily Rabe) are effective, her own explorations of a relationship outside her marriage are less well considered. Still, Negga gives it her all.
Bill Camp as District Attorney Raymond Horgan
(L to R) Jake Gyllenhaal and Bill Camp in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Bill Camp is, of course, a workhorse character actor and if we started to list his credits, we’d be writing a novel. But suffice to say he’s predictably excellent as Sabich’s mentor and a conflicted DA who soon finds his own job at risk. Camp plays rumpled, smart, cynical characters like no other, and here, he’s on his A game.
Peter Sarsgaard as Chief Deputy Prosecutor Tommy Molto
Peter Sarsgaard in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Peter Sarsgaard gives good creep as the smug, driven lawyer who replaces Sabich on his case and then starts to make him the focus of the murder investigation. He and Gyllenhaal have good, spiky chemistry as rivals.
O-T Fagbenle as DA Nico Della Guardia
(L to R) O-T Fagbenle and Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
O-T Fagbenle is perhaps one of the more confounding chances of the show –– not the actor, but the voice he chose (or the producers landed upon for him). He sounds for all the world like Walter Peck from ‘Ghostbusters’ and his weird, raspy delivery is off-putting, even as the actor does good work as an ambitious, scuzzy DA.
‘Presumed Innocent’: Final Thoughts
Lily Rabe in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
‘Presumed Innocent’ holds up well compared to the movie version despite its challenges. Naturally concerned about spoilers, Apple didn’t offer up the final episode, so we can’t say for sure if it sticks the landing, but from what was provided, it’s certainly an entertaining, if flawed legal drama that boasts a fine central performance.
It’s gripping in places and makes for a captivating watch, which says something in the crowded field of legal drama.
‘Presumed Innocent’: Receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.
o4wN7BThgXgouUgmaDxdI4
What’s the story of ‘Presumed Innocent’?
‘Presumed Innocent’ stars Gyllenhaal as chief deputy prosecutor Rusty Sabich, as a horrific murder that upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office when one of its own is suspected of the crime.
The series explores obsession, sex, politics, and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.
Who else stars in ‘Presumed Innocent’?
The cast for ‘Presumed Innocent’ also includes Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Elizabeth Marvel, Peter Sarsgaard, O-T Fagbenle and Renate Reinsve.
Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ premiering June 12, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Movies and TV Shows Similar to ‘Presumed Innocent’:
He’s been dropping hints about a big-screen role in the MCU, which drove speculation wild around a debut as a major character. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, we know a bit more about where he’ll show up –– and its turns out, he’ll be a villain in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’.
38PIIqJ72BWyVUfWZQqug4
What’s the story of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?
While the major plot points are, in Marvel tradition, still mostly a mystery, the new movie –– which sees Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson/Captain America (a role his character first took on in small screen outing ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’) dealing with a crisis at the highest levels of government.
Described by Marvel boss Kevin Feige at CinemaCon as more of “relatively grounded action film” (think ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘) albeit set within the MCU, the movie will nevertheless feature plenty of drama (and probably a Hulk).
Who is appearing in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?
Harrison Ford at D23 Expo 2022.
Alongside Mackie, we can expect to see Harrison Ford (who inherits the role of Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross from the late William Hurt, with the character now President of the United States), Liv Tyler (as Betty Ross from ‘The Incredible Hulk’), Tim Blake Nelson (as villain Samuel Sterns/The Leader also from the MCU Hulk movie), Danny Ramirez (as ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Joaquin Torres, who is the new Falcon) and Rosa Salazar in an unknown role.
As to who Esposito is playing? There are no concrete details yet beyond mention of him as a baddie. We’re left to wonder whether he’ll be a one-off or if this is setting up someone who will recur in later movies (given the actor, our guess is the latter).
What has happened with ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ so far?
Directed by Julius Onah, the movie had its original shoot in early 2023, and after test screenings is now headed for some extensive (though not as much as, say, ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ or ‘The Marvels’) addition footage work, with ‘Moon Knight’s Matthew Orton having cranked out on new script material, which presumably includes Esposito’s character.
There has been much chatter about the movie being in trouble, but extra footage filming is built in to Marvel movie schedules.
Still, there is pressure on the company to get its hit ratio back up after the likes of ‘The Marvels’ didn’t score well at the box office. It only has one movie arriving this year (‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, landing July 26th) and has been having trouble getting other projects, including ‘Blade’ off the ground.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ itself has shifted release dates at least once already, from its original slot, which was inherited by Deadpool’s latest outing.
When will ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ be in theaters?
Pending another shift, Marvel wants the movie in theaters on February 14, 2025.
Giancarlo Esposito attends the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
Other Movies and TV Shows Similar to ‘Captain America: Brave New World’:
(Left) Michelle Yeoh at the 95th Oscars on Sunday, March 12, 2023. The 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT. (Right) 1982’s ‘Blade Runner’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Preview:
Michelle Yeoh is set to star in ‘Blade Runner 2099’.
She’s the first announced cast member for the series.
Ridley Scott is producing the show, though won’t be actively involved.
Is there a competition going on between Giancarlo Esposito and Michelle Yeoh as to who can appear in the most pop culture universes? Yeoh, who already has the likes of Bond, the modern ‘Star Trek’ series, ‘Transformers’ and the MCU under her belt, is adding one more.
She’s now on to star in the new ‘Blade Runner’ series.
60E3XvlChc6qFF3rL6uY64
What’s the story of ‘Blade Runner 2099’?
1982’s ‘Blade Runner’. Photo: Warner Bros.
‘Blade Runner 2099’ follows on from 1982’s ‘Blade Runner’, the Ridley Scott movie that introduced us to the world of rogue artificial lifeforms known as Replicants, and the enforcers who track them down (Harrison Ford played the most notable example, Rick Deckard). It meditated on existence and reality, and though it didn’t launch well at the box office, it has long since become a cult classic.
In 2017, Warner Bros. gave Denis Villeneuve the opportunity to create a sequel, ‘Blade Runner 2049’, with Ford returning as Deckard and Ryan Gosling starring as ‘K’, a replicant who works as a Blade Runner. It explored some of the mysteries of Deckard’s story and some new angles, but also didn’t really soar at the box office.
Since then, we’ve had video games and an anime take, but ‘Blade Runner 2099’ is the first new live-action attempt.
Prime Video has revealed zero official plot details about the show, but scooper Daniel Richtman has tracked down what is reportedly the basic synopsis for the show.
Given that this is from an unofficial source, prepare a grain of salt, but otherwise, read on:
“In Los Angeles 2099, Cora lived her entire life on the run, a chameleon forced to adopt numerous identities. To secure a stable future for her brother, she assumes one final identity and is forced to partner with Olwen (our best guess for Yeoh’s character), a Blade Runner who’s confronting the end of her life. The two are pulled into a widening conspiracy that poses an existential threat to a city that’s fighting to be reborn.”
Who is making ‘Blade Runner 2099’
1982’s ‘Blade Runner’. Photo: Warner Bros.
While Ridley Scott has an executive producer credit, he won’t be directly involved. Instead, Silka Luisa of ‘Shining Girls’ is showrunner and ‘Shogun’s Jonathan van Tulleken as its primary director.
The show, once planned to film in Belfast, Ireland, has since relocated to Prague.
Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou on Paramount+’s ‘Star Trek: Discovery.’
As we mentioned at the beginning of the story, Oscar winner Yeoh has lined up yet more genre work in the future –– she’ll be Madame Morrible in the two ‘Wicked’ movies (the first is due on November 27th this year), has a role in the next couple of ‘Avatar’ films (‘Avatar 3’ will be with us on December 19th, 2025) and, continuing her association with ‘Star Trek’, has been working on spin-off movie ‘Star Trek: Section 31’.
1982’s ‘Blade Runner’ Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
Though not a 1:1 match, the Thunderbolts are effectively Marvel’s version of The Suicide Squad: a group of villains –– or at least anti-heroes –– brought together by third-party schemers in a possibly ill-advised attempt to turn them into a force for good.
In Marvel’s case, they were originally assembled by Baron Zemo and the Masters Of Evil and have sometimes been linked to Hulk regular General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross (hence the name). They made their debut in the pages of ‘The Incredible Hulk’ in 1996, introduced by writer and artist team Peter David and Mike Deodato. They continued to their own series the same year, created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, and have been brought back with a bunch of alternative line-ups in comics ever since.
David Harbour from ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23 Expo 2022.
The vast majority of the cast were announced back in 2022 at Disney’s D23 event: Bucky Barnes (formerly The Winter Soldier), played by Sebastian Stan, is a key figure alongside Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster and David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, those three having been introduced in ‘Black Widow’.
Then there’s John Walker, AKA US Agent, played by Wyatt Russell and first seen in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr, the phasing character known as Ghost, who debuted in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus from ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23 Expo 2022.
As for those overseeing the team, we have Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, AKA Val, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who was also introduced in the ‘Falcon’ series and has since cropped up in the likes of ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. We also have Thaddeus Ross –– last seen in ‘Black Widow’ and played since ‘The Incredible Hulk’ by William Hurt. But because of the actor’s death in 2022, Marvel has had to recast the role, tapping genre icon Harrison Ford to take over.
Edebiri had been filling an unknown role, which Viswanathan will take over. Deadline’ s report offers no details as to the part. The actor will next be seen in Ethan Coen’s ‘Drive-Away Dolls’ , due in theaters on February 23rd.
Who is making ‘Thunderbolts’?
(L to R) Lee Sung Jin, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun attend Netflix’s Los Angeles premiere of ‘BEEF’ at Netflix Tudum Theater on March 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
Jake Schreier (‘Beef’) is directing the film based on a script by Eric Pearson and Lee Sung Jin (the Emmy-winning creator of ‘Beef’).
When will ‘Thunderbolts’ be in theaters?
‘Thunderbolts’ is currently scheduled for release on July 25th, 2025. But we’re still waiting to see if that changes.
Sebastian Stan from ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23 Expo 2022.
It isn’t an exact match, but the simple way of explaining the Thunderbolts is that they’re Marvel’s version of The Suicide Squad: a group of villains –– or at least anti-heroes –– brought together by third-party schemers in a possibly ill-advised attempt to turn them into a force for good.
In Marvel’s case, they were originally assembled by Baron Zemo and the Masters Of Evil and have sometimes been linked to Hulk regular General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross (hence the name). They made their debut in the pages of ‘The Incredible Hulk’ in 1996, introduced by writer and artist team Peter David and Mike Deodato. They continued to their own series the same year, created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, and have been brought back with a bunch of alternative line-ups in comics ever since.
Who is in the Thunderbolts movie so far?
Sebastian Stan from ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23 Expo 2022.
We know (most of) the characters who will be showing up, since they were announced back in 2022 at Disney’s D23 event: Bucky Barnes (formerly The Winter Soldier), played by Sebastian Stan, is a key figure alongside Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster and David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, those three having been introduced in ‘Black Widow’.
Then there’s John Walker, AKA US Agent, played by Wyatt Russell and first seen in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr, the phasing character known as Ghost, who debuted in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’.
ySD9fRBhzaiO2TcznWDp2
As for those overseeing the team, we have Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, AKA Val, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who was also introduced in the ‘Falcon’ series and has since cropped up in the likes of ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. We also have Thaddeus Ross –– last seen in ‘Black Widow’ and played since ‘The Incredible Hulk’ by William Hurt. But because of the actor’s death in 2022, Marvel has had to recast the role, tapping genre icon Harrison Ford to take over.
