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2 • January 20 - 26, 2019 • Brainerd Dispatch By Kenneth Andeel TV Media N umbered among the worst stock market crashes in history is the October 1987 event that came to be known by the catchy, not-at- all-scary nickname "Black Monday." On that day, a complicated web of market forces, including insufficient regulation, international conflict and group psychology, came to a head in a market decline that was — and remains — the largest sin- gle-day decline in the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Now, 30 odd years after that frightening day, Showtime has dramatized the events leading up to it in an 10-part '80s-li- cious series called (you guessed it) "Black Monday." The show is loaded with top- notch talent that includes Don Cheadle ("Avengers: Infinity War," 2018), An- drew Rannells ("Girls"), Regina Hall ("Insecure") and Casey Wilson ("Hap- py Endings"), and it pre- mieres Sunday, Jan. 20, on Showtime. The series is described as "the story of how a group of outsiders took on the blue-blood, old-boys club of Wall Street and ended up crashing the world's largest financial system." So while the intri- cate causes of the real-life 1987 crash are still vigorously debat- ed by economics professors, it seems like the fictionalized version presents viewers with a much more specific set of causes — and causers. The tone of "Black Monday" might surprise anyone expecting a somber treatment of a historical event that caused real, lasting eco- nomic pain, but the series' prove- nance explains its darkly comic take on the stock market disaster. "Black Monday" is executive produced by a team that includes Seth Rogen and his longtime creative partner Evan Goldberg, a duo responsible for such absurdist comedies as "Su- perbad" (2007), "Pineapple Ex- press" (2008) and the ongoing com- ic book-to-television adaptation "Preacher." These guys like to seek out the black humor in tragic or dangerous situations, and "Black Monday" carries that same stamp. Given the iconic time period of the Black Monday crash, the televi- sion translation is a veritable pag- eant of '80s worship (or an '80s cringefest, depending on your age, perspective and taste). The trailers for "Black Monday" are an abso- lute cavalcade of stereotypes and symbols. We have the big suits, the big hair, lycra bodysuits, aerobics rou- tines, cassette tapes, Walkmans, Lamborghinis, clouds of cocaine and indoor ashtrays — all staged in a richly realized vision of 1980s New York, before it was diligently scrubbed, sanitized and gentrified in order to play better to tourists in the 1990s. The trailer glories in its period piece trappings, and the show is absolutely worth checking out for the look and feel alone. That said, there is a lot to be said for the other aspects of the series as well. As mentioned, the cast is, like, radical, man. Cheadle has been one of Holly- wood's most consistently excellent performers for a long time now, turning in seemingly effortless, deep and nuanced performances no matter what kind of script he's handed. His main support comes from Hall and Rannells, both of whom have capable, understated comedic chops and are clearly solid choices to thrive inside the show's preposterously comic outlook. Wil- son is a recurring guest star, and she steals scene after scene with her hi- larious, doe-eyed intensity. "Black Monday" also features a seriously impressive roster of supporting players and guest stars, including Paul Scheer ("The League"), Melis- sa Rauch ("The Big Bang Theory"), Bruce Dern ("The Hateful Eight," 2015), Ken Marino ("Party Down") and Horatio Sanz ("Saturday Night Live"), all of whom are capable of doing a lot with a little, and turning in memorable performances with characters who may not see a lot of screen time. The past work of Rogen and Goldberg has shown that they have more than a little interest in offering social commentary, even if it comes filtered through a layer of loud and ludicrous comedy. "Black Monday" promises to hold true to that trend. Most of the show's au- dience is likely to have relatively fresh memories of 2008's financial crisis and subsequent recession, and probably have their own opin- ions about the role of the stock market, the inextricable link the average citizen has to its ups and downs, and the follies of the practi- tioners within that system. A show about risk-takers who can easily endanger massive sec- tions of society at large if their greed or gambling goes too far is a risk in and of itself. But "Black Mon- day" appears to be a vicious send- up of those callous Wall Street spec- ulators, and television viewers in 2019 are primed to be especially re- ceptive to a cinematic lambasting of the stereotypical shortsighted, greedy businessman playing peril- ous games with other people's money. All told, "Black Monday" seems to have the right combination of timeliness, style, acting and pro- duction value to emerge as an ear- ly hit in 2019. Whether you're in it for a history lesson, the laughs, or just a chance to bask in the bygone excesses of the 1980s, this series is most definitely worth a watch. Tune in to see everything come crashing down when "Black Mon- day" premieres Sunday, Jan. 20, on Showtime. Fall Street Showtime offers a darkly comic look at the 1987 stock market crash Cover Story this week Casey Wilson in a scene from "Black Monday" The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon A student at a Florida high school found a rat in a vending machine. And when she saw the only food left in the machine were Terra Chips, she's like, "I'll take the rat." A family in California is looking for their son's teddy bear after it floated away in a cluster of balloons. Then Pixar said, "Sold!" After a Florida woman was caught with cocaine in her purse, she told police a gust of wind must've blown it in there. The officer was furious, until a gust of wind blew a joint into his mouth and he totally relaxed. A 112-year-old man in Japan was just named the world's oldest man. He's very happy, and says he'll remember this moment for the rest of his week. Late Night With Seth Meyers A man who turned 101 this week gained media attention after he credited his longevity to drinking one Coors Light every day at 4 p.m. for the past 15 years. So there you go: the secret to longevity is to lay off the Coors Light until you're 86. A woman had to be removed from a flight from Scotland to London yesterday after attempting to sneak an "emotional support" cat onto the plane. Fortunately, when the woman broke down in tears, the cat was there to not care at all. Yale University has announced it will install a new 24-7 emergency contraceptive vending machine on campus. Said Harvard students, "Wasn't Yale already Plan B?" MTV is reportedly working on a reboot of its animated show "Celebrity Deathmatch," where Claymation recreations of famous people fight each other. And if you're curious what a clay version of Ted Cruz looks like — about the same. Weekend Update With Colin Jost and Michael Che SpaceX launched a rocket into orbit carrying the cremated remains of 100 people. Unfortunately, they weren't cremated when it launched. Trump also announced that his attorney general nominee will be William Barr, who served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993. A reboot of someone with the last name Barr who was big in the early '90s? What could go wrong? An eight-year-old in Pennsylvania has become a barber and now gives free haircuts to kids in the neighborhood. And guess what? They suck! Pennsylvania police arrested a one-armed woman who was trying to rob a bank. Police say the hardest part was figuring out how to handcuff her. Late Laughs

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