LARRY HORRICKS/NETFLIX © 2021/APEven with Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan front and center, little in the trailer of "The Dig" seemed particularly promising,? I gave it a go and it's good. Some of it's true, too: Along the east coast of Britain in 1939, with war clouds looming, self-taught Suffolk archeologist Basil Brown was hired by ailing widow Edith Pretty to discover if anything of value lay beneath the earth mounds on her property. There was indeed, and the remains and artifacts of a sixth-century Anglo-Saxon burial ship stunned the world. Fiennes is Basil; Mulligan is Edith; around the halfway point of director Simon Stone's film, the focus (for better or worse) shifts to others in the orbit of the excavation effort, particularly characters played by Lily James and Johnny Flynn. Based on the 2007 novel by John Preston, "The Dig" freely mixes fact and invention, overloading the crises a bit but generally succeeding. A fair amount of screenwriter Moira Buffini's dialogue plays out as Terrence Malick-styled voiceover, while the camera focuses on the stark beauty of the surroundings, and men and women actually doing the work. The results are trim, well-made and quite moving. So much for my prejudgments. (Netflix) — Michael Phillips
TNSI dove into this story about an alcoholic flight attendant (Kaley Cuoco) at the center of a murder mystery. Cassie meets Alex on a flight, and he shows her around Bangkok. When she wakes up the next morning, Alex is next to her, but dead. This eight-episode series, which was recently renewed for a second season, moves fast between the murder investigation and flashbacks to Cassie's childhood traumas. Available on HBO Max.
Carol Kaelson/AP PhotoWhen Alex Trebek died in November, it was tough to imagine "Jeopardy!" without him. But Ken Jennings has been masterful as a guest host, and there's optimism that future guest hosts, including Mayim Bialik and Katie Couric, will add their own special touches. Chicagoans may want to tune out Aaron Rodgers's upcoming run as guest host, though. Watching him control another game may be too much to bear. (WLS-Ch. 7) — Tracy Swartz
Hulton Archive / Getty Images"It's a mild little show." On air, without all kinds of things going wrong around him, that's how inaugural "Tonight" host Steve Allen described NBC's experiment in long-form talk/variety show formatting. Watching the first 15 minutes of that initial program (roughly a half-hour of it is circulating on YouTube) it's remarkable how spaghetti-against-the-wall it seems today — even by 1954 standards. Allen's cultural influence turned out to be equally remarkable. "It's not a 'spectacular'," Allen warned of his own show, in that first, seminal monologue. "It's more of a 'monotonous.'" Nearly 70 years later, it's a strange sort of tonic. Available on YouTube.
Merie Weismiller Wallace / APCarey Mulligan's mesmerizing performance in this dark thriller is reason enough to rent writer-director Emerald Fennell's debut about a former medical student whose life has been turned upside down by the rape of her best friend. Even during some of the movie's lighter moments, the overwhelming rage in Mulligan's eyes never evaporates. There are echoes of Joaquin Phoenix's performance as the Joker, but Mulligan connects with her rage while presenting a more normal exterior. That is, until we learn how she is seeking her revenge, at first and then at the film's controversial end. Not for the squeamish, or for men looking to take advantage of overserved women at bars. There are too many twists and turns to go into more plot, but it is a smartly made journey. (VOD) — Scott L. Powers
Jenny Kane/APFILE - In this Aug. 13, 2020 file photo, the logos for Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Sling TV are pictured on a remote control in Portland, USA. Streaming high-definition video and games can result in significant greenhouse gas emissions, depending on the technology used, according to a German government-backed study released Thursday. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Tejinder Singh Khamkha/NETFLIX © 2020/APFor years, Iranian American filmmaker Ramin Bahrani made micro-budget wonders about immigrant communities in New York ("Man Push Cart," "Chop Shop") and elsewhere ("Goodbye Solo"). His better-funded work since then — "99 Homes" with Michael Shannon and Andrew Garfield stands out — has wavered in quality. But with "The White Tiger" Bahrani feels like he's really onto something as a visual stylist and a genre-expander. Adapting Aravind Adiga's 2008 debut novel, Bahrani sprints through the story of an Indian Hindu villager (Adarsh Gourav) who parlays a job as chauffeur for a mafioso-like family into his own business opportunities. What's a little homicide along the way? Strong performances all around, featuring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Rajkummar Rao as a couple torn between familial obligations in India and the life they knew in America. (Netflix) — Michael Phillips
Sergei Bachlakov/NBCNow on its second season, this musical comedy series is about Zoey who has a life changing MRI and now can hear all her friends' and family's innermost thoughts — in song form. The best part is every song-and-dance number is performed by talented stars like Lauren Graham ("Gilmore Girls"), Skylar Astin ("Pitch Perfect") and Alex Newell ("Glee"). (NBC) — Lauren Hill Read an interview with Jane Levy, the star of "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" here.
Justina Mintz/APAs if season one of "Snowpiercer" wasn't nerve wracking enough, season two looks to be an edge-of-your-seater. But then again, what should one expect, since the setting is a frozen post-apocalyptic world where human survivors have to live their lives in a perpetually moving train that circles the globe? This season we get to meet the real Mr. Wilford, the train's namesake. Prepare for Melanie, the engineer (who we thought was the real Wilford in season one) to fight for her train. And Andre Layton and his Tailie family have to keep on fighting, unless the enemy of my enemy is my friend? Hmmmm? The show is based on the 2013 film and an earlier French graphic novel. (TNT) — Darcel Rockett
Andy Kropa/Invision/APNicolle Wallace — the former Bush administration Republican who earned a master's degree from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism in 1996 — is often a fierce critic of President Trump and the Republicans who support him. On her late-afternoon two-hour block on MSNBC she is usually clear-eyed and bold in her questioning and commentary, including sharp criticisms of Republicans objecting to the Electoral College votes. But it's easier to rebuke distant politicians than it is to confront them face-to-face. During a recent show, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was discussing Trump's refusal to admit he lost the presidential election. Wallace directly criticized Christie for defending previous Trump actions. After reviewing Christie's lack of response after the "Access Hollywood" tape, or disparaging African nations or other issues, and his new position criticizing Trump for his election result denial, she asked him about running in 2024: "Are you simply making a political calculation that you could clean the Trump stink off you faster than Marco Rubio or some of the other competitors?" As politicians often do when there's no good answer, Christie pretty much ignored the question, but it was a great TV moment. I'll be curious if he ever agrees to go back on her show. Available on MSNBC.
CBS Television StudiosWe're about halfway through this increasingly contrived 10-episode Showtime procedural starring the always watchable Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") as Michael Desiato, a New Orleans judge caught in an ethical dilemma after his son leaves the scene after hitting and killing a young man on a motorcycle. The show takes a turn after the admired judge learns the motorcyclist is the son of a local mob boss, who won't wait for the legal system to extract his revenge. As Desiato leads us through the ways someone intimately knowledgeable about the justice system can evade detection, the "chance" meetings and connections keep piling up, stretching credulity past the "Breaking" point. But we're invested in the series, so we'll see where it ends, despite cries of "Oh, come on!" (Showtime) — Scott L. Powers
APSet aside the occasional emotional manipulation and sequences that seem too good to be true, and this 85-minute documentary about filmmaker/conservationist Craig Foster's life-cycle relationship with a female octopus off the coast of South Africa will win you over. (Netflix) -- Scott L. Powers
VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty ImagesSet in a Paris talent agency for actors, we watch as a small group of agents (and their assistants) juggle the demands and personalities of their clients, along with their own personality quirks. It's very French: Ridiculous but elegant, melodramatic but stylish. (Netflix) -- Nina Metz
Hasan Amin/APYou probably never heard of Ramy Youssef or his hit show "Ramy" before he won the 2020 Golden Globe for best actor in a television series. This comedy-drama series chronicles first-generation Egyptian American Muslim Ramy Hassan (portrayed by Youssef) as he navigates the awkwardness of being an American millennial and his cultural expectations. Unlike his Muslim friends, Hassan breaks all the rules with porn and premarital sex. The series has been renewed for a third season, so now is a great time to get caught up. (Hulu) — Hannah Herrera Greenspan
Chicago Tribune
TNSSet between "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" (1983) and the first of the newest films "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015), this series is perfect for fans of the original trilogy and the latest installments. Our hero, a Mandalorian bounty hunter, makes his way across the galaxy as a lone ranger, until one day, he finds the adorable and powerful Baby Yoda/Grogu. The series follows the pairs journey together. Available on Disney Plus.
LARRY HORRICKS/NETFLIX © 2021/AP
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Even with Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan front and center, little in the trailer of "The Dig" seemed particularly promising,? I gave it a go and it's good. Some of it's true, too: Along the east coast of Britain in 1939, with war clouds looming, self-taught Suffolk archeologist Basil Brown was hired by ailing widow Edith Pretty to discover if anything of value lay beneath the earth mounds on her property. There was indeed, and the remains and artifacts of a sixth-century Anglo-Saxon burial ship stunned the world. Fiennes is Basil; Mulligan is Edith; around the halfway point of director Simon Stone's film, the focus (for better or worse) shifts to others in the orbit of the excavation effort, particularly characters played by Lily James and Johnny Flynn. Based on the 2007 novel by John Preston, "The Dig" freely mixes fact and invention, overloading the crises a bit but generally succeeding. A fair amount of screenwriter Moira Buffini's dialogue plays out as Terrence Malick-styled voiceover, while the camera focuses on the stark beauty of the surroundings, and men and women actually doing the work. The results are trim, well-made and quite moving. So much for my prejudgments. (Netflix) — Michael Phillips
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