The Brainerd Dispatch - Today's Entertainment Magazine
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Brainerd Dispatch • September 12 - 18, 2021 •19 By Raye Smith TV Media WHAT'S NEW ON NETFLIX "Sex Education" – Season 3 Get down and dirty with another new season of the cult-favorite British comedy-drama "Sex Educa- tion," landing on Netflix this Friday, Sept. 17. The third installment of the series sees the return of everyone's favorite characters, but it doesn't pick up exactly where Season 2 left off (even though it ended on quite a cliffhanger). The cast has grown up some and developed some new attitudes, but Otis (Asa Butterfield, "Ender's Game," 2013) and his friends will continue their hilarious, heartwarming and awk - ward adventures through puberty, with Otis's sometimes-too-open sex therapist mom, Jean (Gillian Anderson, "The X Files"), helping along the way. From creator and writer Laurie Nunn ("Radience," 2013), this BAFTA Award-winning series also stars Ncuti Gatwa ("The Last Letter From Your Lover," 2021), Emma Mackey ("Eiffel," 2021), Connor Swindells ("Emma." 2020), Kedar Williams-Stirling ("Shank," 2010), Aimee Lou Wood ("Uncle Vanya," 2020), Alistair Petrie ("Rogue One," 2016) and Tankya Reynolds ("Emma.," 2020). WHAT'S NEW ON HULU "The Premise" – Season 1 Jump head-first into some of the boldest social issues of our time in the new series "The Premise," debuting its first season on Hulu on Thursday, Sept. 16. This anthology series from creator, host, writer and director B.J. Novak ("The Of - fice") tackles contemporary issues, including police brutality, gun violence, sex, social media and capitalism in a set of standalone stories that are at once thought- provoking and character-driven. The series is co-written by Josie Duffy Rice ("The Daily Show") and Jia Tolentino ("Fyre Fraud," 2019), with directors Kitao Sakurai ("The Passage," 2018), Jake Schreier ("Paper Towns," 2015) and Darya Zhuk ("Crystal Swan," 2018). With larger-than-life stories to tell, the show features a rotating cast of characters portrayed by hard-hitting actors, including Jon Bernthal ("The Wolf of Wall Street," 2013), Lucas Hedges ("Manchester by the Sea," 2016), Kaitlyn Dever ("Booksmart," 2019), Ben Platt ("Pitch Perfect," 2012), Tracee Ellis Ross ("Girlfriends"), Daniel Dae Kim ("Lost"), Lola Kirke ("Gone Girl," 2014), O'Shea Jackson Jr. ("Straight Outta Compton," 2015), Soko ("Her," 2013), George Wal- lace ("Batman Forever," 1995) and Jermaine Fowler ("Friends of the People"). The five-episode first season airs its first two episodes on Sept. 16, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly on Thursdays. WHAT'S NEW ON PRIME "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" (2021) Experience London's West End from the comfort of your own home on Friday, Sept. 17, when the hit musi- cal "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" makes its screen debut on Prime. This contemporary coming- of-age story, with music by The Feel- ing's front man Dan Gillespie Sells (known for "Fill My Little World") and lyrics and story by Tom MacRae ("Doctor Who"), is a joyous and life-affirming musical experience. The story follows 16-year-old Jamie New (played by screen newcomer Max Harwood) as he overcomes adversity, beats prejudice and steps into the light as a drag queen. With the support of his loving mother, Margaret (Sarah Lancashire, "Hap- py Valley"), and an amazing group of friends, Jamie has the chance to grow into his happiest, most authentic life. Directed by Jonathan Butterell ("Finding Neverland," 2004), this musical film adaptation also stars newcomer Lauren Patel, Richard E. Grant ("Gosford Park," 2001), Sharon Horgan ("This Way Up"), Shobna Gulati ("Corona- tion Street"), Ralph Ineson ("The Witch," 2015) and Samuel Bottom- ley ("Ghost Stories," 2017). WHAT'S NEW ON HBO MAX "Cry Macho" (2021) Academy Award-winning producer, director and actor Clint Eastwood ("Million Dollar Baby," 2004) re- turns to the big (and small) screen with the new film "Cry Macho," available to stream on HBO Max this Friday, Sept. 17. Eastwood stars as washed-up rodeo star and horse breeder Mike Milo, who takes on a job to bring a man's young son, Rafa (Eduardo Minett, "La Rosa De Guadalupe"), home and away from his alcoholic mother. Now on a much more difficult journey than anticipated, Milo finds redemption by teaching Rafa what it means to be a good man. Based on the 1975 novel of the same name by N. Rich- ard Nash, "Cry Macho" is a thrilling and touching story of adventure and redemption. Co-written by Nash and Nick Schenk ("Gran Torino," 2008), the film also stars Dwight Yoakam ("Crank," 2006), Fernanda Urrejola ("Party of Five"), Ana Rey ("Californication"), Paul Lincoln Aayo ("The Mule," 2018), Natalia Traven ("Collateral Dam- age," 2002), Horacio Garcia Rojas ("Narcos: Mexico") and Alexandra Ruddy ("City of Lies," 2018). WHAT'S NEW ON PEACOCK "Dan Brown's The Lost Sym- bol" Settle in for a thrilling mystery when "Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol," or simply, "The Lost Symbol," premieres on Peacock this Thursday, Sept. 16. Based on Dan Brown's 2009 novel of the same name, this new series takes place after the events of Brown's popular 2003 novel (and subsequent 2006 film), "The DaVinci Code." Famed Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon (Ashley Zukerman, "Rush") returns for a new bout of adventures, this time as a young man recruited by the CIA to help solve a series of deadly puzzles when his mentor is kidnapped. With his vast knowledge of sym- bols and his sharp mind, Langdon works to solve these puzzles and uncovers a conspiracy in the pro- cess. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg ("10 Cloverfield Lane," 2016), the series is written by Brown, Jay Beattie ("Scream: The TV Series"), Dan Dworkin ("The Crossing") and Daniel Cerone ("The Blacklist"). Valorie Curry ("Veronica Mars"), Eddie Izzard ("Ocean's Thirteen," 2007), Sumalee Montano ("The Casagrandes"), Keenan Jolliff ("Monsters and Men," 2018), Rick Gonzales ("Arrow"), Beau Knapp ("Death Wish," 2018) and Raoul Bhaneja ("Clarice") also star in the series. WHAT'S NEW ON DISNEY+ "SparkShorts: Nona"(2021) Disney adds another brand-new short to its SparkShorts lineup this Friday, Sept. 17, when "Nona" lands on Disney+. Designed to discover new storytellers, find new ways of telling stories and encour- age creative production processes, Pixar's SparkShorts program gives Pixar employees six months and a limited budget to create new animated shorts. Creator and direc- tor Louis Gonzales has worked for Pixar for decades, working on family classics, including "The Iron Giant" (1999), "Ratatouille" (2007) and "Brave" (2012), to name a few. Now, Gonzalez brings Disney the latest SparkShorts installa- tion, "Nona": a story based on his grandmother. When all Nona wants to do is unwind for the day with her favorite wrestling show, she must decide between her pastime and her other favorite distraction, her 5-year-old granddaughter, leading to a loving showdown and a happy compromise. The film is produced by Courtney Casper Kent ("Coco," 2017). WHAT'S NEW ON PARAMOUNT+ "The Harper House" – Season 1 The all-new adult animated series "The Harper House" airs Thursday, Sept. 16, on Paramount+. Over- confident breadwinner Debbie Harper (Rhea Seehorn, "Better Call Saul") had her life turned on its head when she lost her job. With a full house of odd and rambunc- tious family to take care of, Debbie struggles to regain her high social standing after moving her family from the richer side of town to the poorer side and into their inherited Victorian fixer-upper. It's all hands on deck for Debbie with her neu- rotic husband, Freddie (Jason Lee, "My Name is Earl"), and their kids, Ollie (Tatiana Maslany, "Orphan Black") and Todd (Ryan Flynn, "Stupidface"), to get their new house feeling like home. Featuring quirky adventures and new neigh- bors along the way, this series hails from creator and writer Brad Neely ("China, IL") with direction by Brian Sheesley ("Futurama") and Jamie Whitney ("Eek! The Cat"). Liz Ben- oit ("House"), Nyima Funk ("Key & Peele"), Lance Krall ("Breaking In"), VyVy Nguyen ("Parenthood"), Gabourey Sidibe ("Precious," 2009) and Gary Anthony Williams ("Har- old & Kumar Go to White Castle," 2004) also voice star in the series. Chris Jenks, Aimee Lou Wood and Emma Mackey in "Sex Education" Max Harwood and Sarah Lancashire as seen in Renee and Nona in a scene from "SparkShorts: Nona"