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April 30, 2016

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TV Media Weekly | April 30 - May 6, 2016 creator of the Emmy-winning se- ries "House." "But the idea that these two, seemingly so different, could have been friends is almost too perfect." That discord-within-friendship evidently makes for good TV, or so showrunners hope. The mystery drama stars Michael Weston ("Six Feet Under") as Houdini and Ste- phen Mangan ("Rush," 2013) as Doyle. The two grudgingly join forces with Scotland Yard to inves- tigate unsolved crimes that bear whispers — and sometimes more than whispers — of the supernat- ural, and otherwise unexplainable. Houdini, with his wealth of magical training and illusionist know-how, is highly aware of how fraud is accomplished, making him the ultimate skeptic when it comes to the unprovable. With an ability to extricate himself from seemingly any situation, he's a natural prob- lem-solver, and should therefore be able to see something in these mysterious cases that others have missed. Doyle, by contrast, is a strong believer in the unseen and things that may not inhabit our mortal plain. Despite dreaming up the ul- timate rationalist Sherlock Holmes, the writer is also a paranormal afi- cionado, and his firm belief in the supernatural puts him constantly at odds with his counterpart as the two hunt down clues and follow enigmatic leads. Caught in the middle is Adelaide (Rebecca Liddiard, "MsLabelled"), the third member of their offbeat team and the first female consta- ble of the London Metropolitan Po- lice Force. She joins Houdini & Doyle on cases that appear to in- volve ghosts, monsters, vampires and more — or perhaps these forc- es are just coverups for nefarious activities. "The fundamental concept of the show is about belief — what we believe and why," series cre- ator David Hoselton told reporters at L.A.'s Wonder Con in March, maintaining that belief in the su- pernatural is every bit as prevalent today as it was during Houdini & Doyle's time. "We're constantly asking our- selves: 'What's the limit of what's possible?'" Shore added. While the real Houdini & Doyle didn't actually form a crime-fight- ing duo (unfortunately), the friend- ship and contention around which the series is formed comes from a real place. Doyle became a fervent believer in life after death follow- ing the death of his son Kingsley just before the end of the First World War. He found great solace in spiritualism and the belief that he could still communicate with lost loved ones, and his writing ca- reer gave way to extensive lectur- ing on the subject. Houdini, by contrast, became a loud opponent of the spiritualist movement in the 1920s, expend- ing great time and effort into de- bunking psychics and mediums and exposing them as frauds. Doyle actually believed that Houdi- ni himself was a powerful medium, and that his incredible stunts were performed by means of paranor- mal abilities. He flat-out refused to believe his friend's insistence that it was mere trickery, and rejected Houdini's exposés. In the end, the friendship couldn't withstand the difference in beliefs, and the two eventually came to view one an- other with outright animosity. Those views are a driving force in the miniseries, making it a chal- lenge for the two men to work to- gether. While there's a season-long arc expanding on the two men's backstories and the growth of their relationship, each episode will serve as a one-off procedural in which a crime is solved — so they obviously work well enough to- gether to get the job done. "Even though it's an embattled friendship and they don't really agree on anything, they gradually, over the course of time, find a real- ly deep friendship and need each other," said Weston at Wonder Con. "Besides all the adventure and supernatural, [the show is about] this really fun, deep friend- ship between these guys that also, sort of, are bitter enemies." It all gets underway when "Hou- dini & Doyle" premieres Monday, May 2, on Fox. By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media W hat do an acclaimed British fiction writer and an unparalleled American escape art- ist have in common? Aside from fame and 20th-century icon status, it also seems they share a knack for solving crimes. Forget your cops and detectives. "Houdini & Doyle" sees a rather unconventional crime-solving team take to the streets to crack some otherwise uncrackable cases. The 10-episode British-Canadian miniseries premieres Monday, May 2, on Fox. On paper, Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have little in common. The former gained inter- national fame as an escape artist and master illusionist, going on to become one of the highest-paid entertainers of his time for his abil- ity to free himself from all manner of handcuffs, strait jackets, locked boxes filled with water and more. The latter created Sherlock Holmes, one of literature's greatest detec- tives and most enduring figures, and his stories have become sta- ples of crime fiction. What they did have in common was a keen interest in spirituality, although their opinions on the sub- ject were at opposite ends of the spectrum. Houdini was as skeptical as they come, spurning belief in anything he couldn't see, while Doyle was a passionate believer in the supernatural, which Houdini saw as mere gimmickry. "Houdini & Doyle" plays off the real-life friendship the two men enjoyed, which, in the end, couldn't survive their strongly conflicting view- points. "I've long been intrigued by both Houdini & Doyle: men who were ahead of their time, each fas- cinating in [his] own right," said executive producer David Shore, Stephen Mangan as seen in "Houdini & Doyle" Great minds Two 20th-century icons team up to solve crimes 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" 3830 S LAFOUNTAIN, KOKOMO 765-453-9125 SUN-THURS 11AM-1OPM FRI & SAT 11AM-11PM www.grindstonesrestaurantandpub.com $ 3 00 OFF $15.00 Food Purchase Expire: 04/30/16 One coupon per person, per visit. Not good with any other offer. Taxes & Gratuity not included. Must present this Coupon for discount. TV

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