The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/26983
The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, March 11, 2011 2 coverstory Confl icted ‘Kings’ Good and bad blur in new drama the Intern on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” The character is so popular that, rumor has it, the actor is in talks for a “Lyle” spinoff. Simpson is also known for re- curring roles in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “My Name is Earl” and “24.” Not to be outdone, Swan is a prime-time superhero. Literally. One of her most notable roles is a recurring gig as Zatanna Zatara in The CW’s “Small- ville.” The Canadian-born ac- tress is right at home on the To- ronto set of “Breakout Kings,” though she’s well known in the U.S. for memorable parts in such TV series as “Supernatu- ral” and “Psych.” In addition to his television Serinda Swan stars in “Breakout Kings” By Kyla Brewer TV Media T elevision may house a host of colorful characters these days, but in many ways, prime time is still pretty black and white. Good guys battle bad guys. Good guys mostly win. Repeat. But a new series is breaking those rules. In A&E’s “Breakout Kings,” airing Sunday, March 13, U.S. Marshals team up with convicts to catch fugitives on the lam. The stats say the chances of catching a prison escapee who’s been on the run for more than 72 hours plummet to just five per cent. Disgruntled law- men Charlie Duchamp (Laz Alonso) and Ray Zancanelli (Domenick Lombardozzi) try bending the rules of that game in “Breakout Kings,” by enlist- ing the help of convicts in find- ing such fugitives. The chosen convicts are asked to assist the authorities in exchange for re- ducing their sentences. Duchamp and Zancanelli’s new charges aren’t just any in- mates, however. They are some of the most elusive fugitives ever caught. Lloyd Lowery (Jimmi Simpson) is a brilliant former child prodigy who has a gift for behavioral and psychi- atric analysis. Former gang member Shea Daniels (Mal- colm Goodwin) knows his way around the system, both be- hind bars and on the mean streets. Female convict Erica Reed (Serinda Swan) is also pulled into the task force to make use of her expert track- ing skills. The use of such criminal masterminds may be highly unorthodox and extremely risky, but Duchamp and Zan- canelli are willing to take the chance. They make Lowery, Daniels and Reed aware that there will be severe conse- quences should they try to es- cape while on the task force. Brooke Nevin stars as Juli- anne Simms, a civilian liaison who manages all of the tips, in- formation and data the team uses. Star of such big screen hits as “The Fast and the Furious” films and 2009’s “Avatar,” Alonzo leads the charge as Du- champ, a character the actor sought out. “Charlie has a strong moral core,” Alonzo explained in an online interview at aetv.com. “That was the first and fore- most thing that I was looking for. I made my way in film play- ing a lot of scumbag charac- ters, and I wanted to turn the corner and start playing guys that just had more to show in the story than just being bad.” Co-star Lombardozzi is best known to TV viewers as Balti- more police detective Herc in HBO’s critically acclaimed “The Wire.” The role caught the at- tention of filmmaker Michael Mann, and Lombardozzi went on to appear in “Miami Vice” (2006) and “Public Enemies” (2009). TV.com’s Tim Surette noted that “Breakout Kings” showed promise partly be- cause of the show’s “unex- pected” humor. Fans of co- star Simpson should expect nothing less. The performer is best known for his gig as Lyle work in “Law & Order,” “De- troit 1-8-7” and other series, Goodwin has appeared in such films as “American Gangster” (2007), “The Lazarus Project (2008) and “Leatherheads” (2009). Nevin is a television veteran as well, with a current recur- ring role on HBO’s “Call Me Fitz.” She was a regular on “The 4400” and CBS’s “Worst Week.” Other television credits include guest starring roles in “NCIS,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Supernatural.” Co-creator, writer and exec- utive producer Matt Olmstead also knows his stuff. He’s worked on both sides of TV law as an executive producer on Fox’s “Prison Break” as well as ABC’s iconic “NYPD Blue.” He also worked with legendary TV producer Steven Bochco on two network pilots. While Olmstead’s credits are impressive, co-creator Nick Santora’s resume reads like a movie script. After his very first screenplay won Best Screen- play of the Competition at the New York International Inde- pendent Film Festival, the for- mer attorney went on to write Chirstopher’s Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: What else has Zoe Saldana done? A: Presuming you mean besides “Avatar,” she’s still done quite a bit in a fairly short time. It’s even hard to say if it was her role in that particular 2009 blockbuster that put her on the map, because she had two. A few months prior to the premiere of “Avatar,” she graced the big screen in the big-budget, high-grossing “Star Trek” reboot, filling the role of the Uhura character from the original series. Add to the list her smaller turn in the first “Pirates of the Ca- ribbean” film in 2003, and she’s had roles in three of the high- est-grossing films of the last decade. Love it or (as most did) hate it, she was also in the 2002 Brit- ney Spears movie “Crossroads.” It was, of course, almost uni- versally lambasted by critics, but it was a box-office success. Also, many don’t know that it was penned by Shonda Rhimes, just a few short years before she brought a minor revolution to TV with a little series she did called “Grey’s Anatomy.” These are just a few examples, though, since a full list would take a while -- she’s appeared in 29 titles in the scant 11 years since she debuted in the medium-budget musical drama “Center Stage” in 2000. Have a question? E-mail us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. Crazy Tom's 2 x 3