On Screen

March 7 - 13, 2020—3 The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN March 7 - 13, 2020 — 3 2 x 3.5" ad a) greene cnty farmers b) swango's 2 x 4" ad williams electric 2 x 1.5" ad ymca 2 x 1.5" ad doughty stevens 2 x 1.5" ad midway const. By Jay Bobbin Some friends promise to be there for you and yours when times get tough. And then, there's the "Coun- cil of Dads." Premiering Tuesday, March 10, the NBC drama unites several close friends of a cancer patient (Tom Everett Scott) to give ample emo- tional support to the man's family. Played by Clive Standen ("Vikings"), J. August Richards ("Angel") and Michael O'Neill ("The West Wing"), the "council" checks in regularly — while also trying to keep their own lives in check — on those including the matriarch (Sarah Wayne Callies, "The Walking Dead") who's expect- ing another child. Inspired by Bruce Feiler's same- named book, "Council of Dads" is a departure for executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, traditionally a crime-show specialist ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Without a Trace"). "It's an immediate idea that I think that we've all dealt with," maintains Tony Phelan, also an executive producer of the new series along with his wife and creative partner, Joan Rater. "We have very similar conversations where she will say to me, 'If I die, these are the ap - proved women that you can have come anywhere near our children."' Co-star O'Neill allows that in some ways, "Council of Dads" echoes "This Is Us," which it will follow im- mediately for its first several weeks. "I think there was an appetite there for that drama," he reflects, "and I think they just pulled the covers back and said, 'Here you are.' I love that they were the prow of the ship, and I'm very happy to go into harbor behind them — but that appetite has been there for us as well, I think, so we'll just try to honor it." Callies notes that her father-in- law succumbed to cancer "between shooting the pilot and the series, which was an interesting kind of thing to navigate. I think we've all had the experience of recognizing that your family and your blood ... are not the same thing, by any means. They're the people who stand up for you, right? They're the people who say, 'I'm going to make you feel safe in the world. And I'm going to make myself a better person because you deserve that from me.' That's family, I think." Indeed, Richards says "the mes - sage" that "Council of Dads" conveys "really hits me in a place where I live, which is that family is not limited to race, sexual orientation, not even genetics. Your capacity to love is what makes your family. I was so moved by that, I just was like, 'If I could be a part of this show that is part of something that I would really love to say to the world, then I would be blessed.' And I am." Celebrity Scoop Celebrity Scoop NBC's 'Council of Dads' pulls together for an ill friend's family Cover Story Cover Story By Jay Bobbin Pamela Adlon may keep hoping for "Better Things" on her acclaimed FX series, but professionally, things have been pretty good for her. Deeply involved in every aspect of the seriocomic Thursday program — now in its fourth season — the actress-writer-producer-director continues to embrace the challenges of filling a part she also has in real life: the sometimes-too-aware single mother to three savvy daughters (played in the show by Mikey Madi- son, Hannah Alligood and Olivia Edward). "These guys really fleshed out these characters," Adlon says of her younger "Better Things" co-stars, "so now my own real-life daughters just maintain ownership ... like, 'She's me.' 'She's me.' 'She's me.' It's be- come about them as they grow their abilities, what I see them doing, who they are." Adlon notes that the current season of "Better Things" differs "because I came in with themes. I knew I Checking in With Pamela Adlon wanted to call the first episode 'Rain'; I knew I wanted rain to be a theme through the season. I wrote (the word) 'couples.' I wrote 'together- ness,' 'being alone.' These were all things that I wanted to build on. I have these long drafts, folders and notes and directions that I want to go in. But it's little tiny details that I would walk in with and say, 'This thing happened.' "I was at a store with my young- est daughter," Adlon recalls, "and a mom was screaming, looking for her son frantically, and nobody left their place in line except for me and my daughter. That just stayed with me, so I wanted to talk about that. Those little kinds of details that stick with me work in the show." Birthdate: July 9, 1966 Birthplace: New York Current residences: New York and Los Angeles Family info: Divorced; has three daughters Other television work includes: "Young Sheldon," "The Big Bang Theory," "TripTank" (voice only), "Louie," "Californication," "Bob's Burgers" (voice only), "WordGirl" (voice only), "Rake," "Monk," "Pound Puppies" (voice only), "Phineas and Ferb" (voice only), "Out There" (voice only), "Parenthood," "Thundercats" (voice only), "Beavis and Butt- Head" (voice only), "King of the Hill" (voice only), "Boston Legal," "Lucky Louie," "Six Feet Under," "Rugrats" (voice only), "Recess" (voice only), "The Oblongs" (voice only), "Pepper Ann" (voice only), "Bobby's World," "101 Dalmatians: The Se - ries" (voice only), "Breast Men," "Down the Shore," "The Redd Foxx Show," "The Facts of Life" Movie work includes: "Bumble - bee," "I Love You, Daddy," "Conception," "Lucky 13," "Teacher's Pet" (voice only), "Brother Bear" (voice only), "Re - cess: School's Out" (voice only), "Sgt. Bilko," "Bed of Roses," "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" (voice only), "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane," "Say Anything ... ," "Grease 2" Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home 423-638-4141 www.doughty-stevens.com 1125 Tusculum Blvd. Greeneville, Tennessee Established 1892 Serving the community for 127 years! One Y. One Community. Greene County YMCA 423-639-6107 www.greenecounty-ymca.org "Serving Your Complete Lighting Needs Since 1960" 3195 E. Andrew Johnson Hwy. • 638-2241 Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5:00; Sat. 8:30-12:00 One Stop Electrical Supplies for Commercial, Industrial, and Residential Needs WILLIAMS Electric Supply DEALER Check out our new website and online store! precisionfi rearmstn.com $ 429 99 M & P 9 Shield EZ Next Handgun Carry Class will be March 14th (423) 235-1022 7272 St. Clair Road • Whitesburg, TN https://www.facebook.com/swangosprecisionfi rearms Call 638-4181 To Advertise In...

• Cover