Today's Entertainment

Brainerd Dispatch • August 16 - 22, 2020 •19 By Jessica Gosse TV Media WHAT'S NEW ON NETFLIX "Lucifer" Season 5 Welsh actor Tom Ellis ("Isn't It Ro- mantic?," 2019) returns to the role of Lucifer Morningstar in the anxiously awaited fifth season of this supernat- ural drama, premiering Friday, Aug. 21, on Netflix. The series began in 2016 with a simple enough premise: Lucifer Morningstar, King of Hell, got bored of ruling over the underworld and moved to Los Angeles, where he opened a nightclub. After a murder occurs outside his club and he helps the police solve the case, he begins working as a consultant of sorts with local detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German, "Chicago Fire"). While their relationship started off rocky with Chloe disapproving of Lucifer's unusual methods (which she refused to believe were supernatural abili- ties), they eventually bonded as they brought down criminals, and soon fans were wondering if they might end up together. The duo has faced more than just your run-of-the-mill L.A. criminals, though. They've also dealt with a priest determined to send Lucifer back to hell, a celestial being in the form of a lawyer and some very old acquaintances of Lucifer's: Cain (Tom Welling, "Small- ville") and Eve (Inbar Lavi, "Impos- ters"). Season 5 kicks off months after the dramatic Season 4 finale that saw Lucifer needing to return to hell. Now, Lucifer's back in the City of Angels, but something about him isn't quite right, and both Chloe and Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt, "Spartacus"), his right-hand demon, have noticed. "Hoops" On Friday, Aug. 21, don't miss the series premiere of this new adult-ori- ented animated comedy on Netflix. "Hoops" comes from the creators of the popular animated shows "Ar- cher" and "Bob's Burgers," and Jake Johnson ("New Girl") stars, lending his voice to Ben Hopkins, the coach of a floundering high school basketball team. Hopkins is convinced that he can turn the team around and use them as his ticket to the big leagues, but this is far from a "Coach Carter" situation. The coach has little to no skill for the game himself and has a horrible temper, a tendency to curse (the first episode is even titled "The F****** Pilot") and a generally shameless personality. Also lending their voices to the series are Rob Riggle ("21 Jump Street," 2012), Natasha Leggero ("Broke") and Ron Funches ("Undateable"). "The Sleepover" (2020) Go on an action-packed family adventure with this new film from director Trish Sie ("Pitch Perfet 3," 2017), premiering Friday, Aug. 21, on Netflix. Clancy (Sadie Stanley, "Kim Possible," 2019) and Kevin Finch (Maxwell Simkins, "Love the Coo- pers," 2015) live an average life with their typical parents, Margot (Malin Akerman, "Billions") and Glen (Ken Marino, "Childrens Hospital") ... or so they think. In just one night, the siblings' lives are turned upside down as everything they think they know about their parents turns out to be wrong. When Margot is kidnapped, Clancy and Kevin come to learn that their mom is actually a former thief who was put in witness protection, and the men who took her want her to do one last job for them. Now, the siblings team up in order to rescue their mom before the night is over. WHAT'S NEW ON HULU "Daffodils" (2020) Maisie Williams (played by New Zealand singer/songwriter Kimbra) learns that her father is on his death bed as she heads to a gig at an indie music bar in this heartfelt film com- ing to Hulu on Thursday, Aug. 20. As she sings her opening number, Maisie thinks back on how little she really knew about her parents before the night that her father told her their story. Rose McIvor ("iZombie") and George Mason ("Home and Away") star as Maisie's parents, Rose and Eric, as the tale of their ill-fated romance is told through classic New Zealand songs. The musical follows Rose and Eric's relationship, from the time they first met and fell madly in love in 1966 through the many highs and lows of the years, all of which eventually culminate in their divorce in 1988. "Behind You" (2020) Mirrors have never been a good omen in horror films, whether they're a conduit for Bloody Mary or the Candyman. On Sunday, Aug. 16, this horror film will have you avoiding all of your mirrors as it joins the Hulu lineup. When their mother tragi- cally dies, sisters Olivia (Addy Miller, "Paranormal," 2009) and Claire (Elizabeth Birkner, "The Outpost") are sent to live with their estranged Aunt Beth (Jan Broberg, "Ever- wood"). From the moment they ar- rive, Aunt Beth makes it abundantly clear that she doesn't want them there, and she enforces a strict set of rules, the most important being that the basement door remains locked at all times and they never go down there. Despite her aunt's firm rule, Claire's curiosity soon gets the better of her, and she sneaks into the base- ment. She discovers a dust-coated mirror, and when words magically begin to appear written in the dust, Claire believes it's a message from her mother and accidentally releases an evil spirit. Now, the girls must save themselves from the spirit that once tormented their mother. "Love in the Time of Corona" Relationships are hard work, even on a good day, so when you factor in a global pandemic that leaves you trapped in your home, "hard work" doesn't even begin to cover it. On Saturday, Aug. 22, the realities of managing a relationship in the midst of a pandemic are brought to light in the premiere of this drama. The series has a similar feel to "Modern Love" or the 2003 classic "Love Actually" as it focuses on four very different couples whose lives all interweave. The first couple is James (Leslie Odom Jr., "Smash") and Sade (Nicolette Robinson, "The Affair"), who, despite having a child together, lead very separate lives as she raises their kid and he travels constantly for work. However, when the pandemic hits, James is suddenly at home full time, and their relationship becomes strained. Also featured are Nanda (L. Scott Caldwell, "Lost") and Charles (Charles Robinson, "Hart of Dixie"), who have been together for 50 years but are forced apart when the lockdown leaves Charles stuck in a rehab facility. Elsewhere, Paul (Gil Bellows, "Patriot") and Sarah (Rya Kihlstedt, "Charmed") have been secretly separated for months and are forced to maintain their ruse of being happily married when they are stuck in quarantine with their newly single daughter. The series doesn't focus exclusively on pre- existing relationships, though. It also follows the story of Oscar (Tommy Dorfman, "13 Reasons Why") and Elle (Rainey Qualley, "Ocean's 8," 2018), who have a platonic friend- ship that becomes complicated as Elle develops feelings for Oscar just as his latest fling starts to become serious. Whether you're single or in a serious relationship, don't miss the series premiere of this deeply relat- able drama. WHAT'S NEW ON DISNEY+ "Back to the Titanic" In 1997, the world fell in love with the tragic story of the Titanic, thanks to director James Cameron's epic ro- mance/disaster film. Now, National Geographic returns to the wreckage nearly 15 years after the last dive mission in this documentary coming to Disney+ on Friday, Aug. 21. Victor Vescovo leads the mission with help from marine ecologist Lori Johnson as well as Parks Stephenson, an ex- pert on the Titanic. While some real footage of the ship was featured in Cameron's film, this special provides never-before-seen footage of the wreck and, thanks to advances in technology, highly accurate 3D mod- els. The exploration also uncovers the unfortunate reality that the RMS Titanic will likely not be around much longer, as due to powerful currents and bacteria, the wreck is slowly be- ing destroyed. "Beauty and the Beast" (2017) The last few years have seen many reboots of classic Disney films, and on Friday, Aug. 21, this live-action musical joins the streamer. Emma Watson ("Little Women," 2019) stars as Belle, a vivacious young woman living in a small town in France where she is considered an outcast due to her bookish nature. Despite this, a narcissistic former war captain and hunter named Gaston (Luke Evans, "The Alienist") pursues her for her beauty and is furious when she rejects him. Meanwhile, Belle's father, Maurice (Kevin Kline, "Last Vegas," 2013), is away on business when he gets lost in the woods and stumbles upon a seemingly aban- doned castle. But, when he goes to take a rose from its garden to bring back to Belle, he is taken prisoner by the castle's owner: the Beast (Dan Stevens, "Downton Abbey"). Belle realizes her father is in trouble when their horse returns home without him, and she sets out to find him. When she discovers the castle, she barters with the Beast, offering to stay if he lets her father go. As Belle stays at the castle, she bonds with the ill-tempered Beast and his magi- cal household staff. However, back at home, Maurice's ramblings about the Beast have lead Gaston to set his sights on a hunt. Tom Ellis in "Lucifer" Rose McIver and George Mason as seen in "Daffodils" Dan Stevens and Emma Watson in "Beauty and the Beast"

• Cover