The Brainerd Dispatch TV Week August 16th 2020

Today’s Entertainment

August 16 - 22, 2020

Demons and discrimination

Courtney B. Vance stars in “Lovecraft Country”

Sports this week

Sunday, Aug. 16

8:05 a.m. ESPN F1 Auto Racing Spanish Grand Prix. (Live) (1:55)

9:30 a.m. FSN John Gillespie’s Waters & Woods (0:30)

10:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

11:00 a.m. (11) KARE AMA Motocross (1:00)

11:30 a.m. GOLF PGA Golf Final Round Wyndham Championship. (Live) (2:00)

NBCSN Mecum Top 10 (0:30)

Noon (5) KSTP WNBA Basketball Dal. at Pho. (Live) (2:00)

(11) KARE IndyCar Auto Racing IndyCar Series Qualifying Day 2 Indy 500. (Live) (2:00)

ESPN2 World of X Games (1:00)

NBCSN Mecum Top 10 (0:30)

12:30 p.m. NBCSN Mecum Top 10 (0:30)

1:00 p.m. (7) KCCO In the Huddle (0:30)

ESPN2 F1 Auto Racing Spanish Grand Prix. (2:30)

NBCSN NASCAR America (Live) (0:30)

1:30 p.m. (7) KCCO PGA Golf Final Round Wyndham Championship. (Live) (3:30)

GOLF CHAMPS Golf Final Round Senior Players Championship. (Live) (2:30)

2:00 p.m. (5) KSTP WNBA Basketball Sea. at Con. (Live) (2:00)

2:30 p.m. (11) KARE NASCAR Auto Racing NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen. (Live) (2:30)

3:00 p.m. NBCSN IndyCar Auto Racing IndyCar Series Practice Indy 500. (Live) (2:00)

TBS MLB Baseball L.A. D. at L.A. A. (Live) (3:00)

3:30 p.m. ESPN2 The Best of This Is SportsCenter (0:30)

4:00 p.m. ESPN2 SportsCenter Special (1:00)

GOLF Korn Ferry Golf Final Round Boise Open. (Live) (2:00)

4:30 p.m. FSN Destination Polaris (0:30)

5:00 p.m. ESPN ESPN2 Baseball Tonight (Live) (1:00)

NBCSN NASCAR Cup Series PostRace Show (Live) (0:30)

5:30 p.m. (9) KMSP Vikings 2019 Team Highlights (0:30)

NBCSN NHL Live! (Live) (1:00)

6:00 p.m. (9) KMSP Vikings Preseason Primetime (1:00)

ESPN MLB Baseball Bos. at N.Y. Y. (Live) (3:00)

ESPN2 Baseball (Live) (3:00)

GOLF USGA Golf Championship U.S. Amateur. (Live) (3:00)

6:30 p.m. NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

9:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

Monday, Aug. 17

10:00 a.m. GOLF CHAMPS Golf Round 3 Senior Players Championship. (2:30)

11:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00) Noon (9) KAWE Classical Stretch: By Essentrics (0:30)

ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

12:30 p.m. GOLF PGA Golf Final Round Wyndham Championship. (4:30)

1:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Live (Live) (1:00) 1:30 p.m. ESPN2 Highly Questionable (0:30)

p.m. ESPN NBA: The Jump (Live) (1:00)

p.m. ESPN Jalen & Jacoby (0:30)

p.m. ESPN Highly Questionable (0:30)

p.m. ESPN Around the Horn (0:30)

ESPN2 College Football Live (Live) (0:30)

9:00 p.m. GOLF Feherty (1:00)

Tuesday, Aug. 18

10:00 a.m. GOLF USGA Golf Championship U.S. Amateur. (3:00)

11:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

Noon (9) KAWE Classical Stretch: By Essentrics (0:30)

ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

12:30 p.m. TNT NBA Basketball Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

1:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Live (Live) (1:00)

ESPN2 SportsCenter (1:00)

5:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

5:30 p.m. ESPN2 Pardon the Interruption (0:30)

6:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter Special (Live) (1:00)

NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

6:30 p.m. GOLF Nick Dougherty’s Tee Time Tips (0:30)

7:00 p.m. GOLF Golf’s Greatest Rounds (2:30)

8:00 p.m. ESPN2 WNBA Basketball N.Y. vs. Sea. (Live) (2:00)

TNT NBA Basketball Playoffs. (2:30)

2:30 p.m. ESPN2 Jalen & Jacoby (0:30)

3:00 p.m. ESPN Jalen & Jacoby (0:30)

GOLF CHAMPS Golf Round 1 Charles Schwab Series. (Live) (2:00)

3:30 p.m. ESPN Highly Questionable (0:30)

4:00 p.m. ESPN Around the Horn (0:30)

5:30 p.m. ESPN2 Pardon the Interruption (2:30)

NBCSN NHL Live! (Live) (0:30)

TNT NBA Basketball Playoffs. (2:30)

6:00 p.m. ESPN MLB Baseball (Live) (3:00)

NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

6:30 p.m. GOLF PGA Tour: The CUT (0:30)

7:00 p.m. GOLF Golf (2:00) USA WWE NXT (Live) (2:00)

8:00 p.m. ESPN2 College Football Studio (Live) (1:00)

8:30 p.m. NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

9:00 p.m. ESPN MLB Baseball (Live) (3:00)

Thursday, Aug. 20

11:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

Noon (9) KAWE Classical Stretch: By Essentrics (0:30)

GOLF Korn Ferry Golf Round 1 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. (Live) (2:00)

1:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Live (Live) (1:00)

ESPN2 MLB Baseball Det. at Chi.W. (Live) (3:00)

1:50 p.m. HBO Hard Knocks (1:00)

2:00 p.m. ESPN NBA: The Jump (Live) (1:00)

GOLF PGA Golf Round 1 The Northern Trust. (Live) (4:00)

2:30 p.m. FSN Town Ball (0:30)

3:00 p.m. ESPN Jalen & Jacoby (0:30)

3:30 p.m. ESPN Highly Questionable (0:30)

4:00 p.m. ESPN Around the Horn (0:30)

ESPN2 College Football Live (Live) (1:00)

NBCSN Motocross Highlights (1:00)

4:30 p.m. ESPN Pardon the Interruption (0:30)

GOLF PGA Golf Round 2 The Northern Trust. (Live) (4:00)

3:00 p.m. ESPN Jalen & Jacoby (0:30)

3:30 p.m. ESPN Highly Questionable (0:30)

FSN Rooster Tales (0:30)

4:00 p.m. ESPN Around the Horn (0:30)

4:30 p.m. ESPN Pardon the Interruption (0:30)

ESPN2 Max on Boxing (0:30)

5:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

5:30 p.m. NBCSN NHL Live! (Live) (0:30) TNT NBA Basketball Playoffs. (2:30)

6:00 p.m. FSN Three Wide Life (0:30)

GOLF Golf Central (0:30)

NBCSN USA NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (3:00)

6:30 p.m. FSN Baseball in the Dominican Republic (0:30)

GOLF CHAMPS Golf Final Round Charles Schwab Series. (2:00)

7:00 p.m. (9) KMSP (15) KVRR WWE SmackDown (Live) (2:00)

8:00 p.m. TNT NBA Basketball Playoffs. (2:30)

8:30 p.m. GOLF PGA Golf Round 2 The Northern Trust. (4:00)

9:00 p.m. USA NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (3:00)

Saturday, Aug. 22

11:30 a.m. NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Xfinity Series Race 1 Drydene 200. (Live) (2:00)

Noon GOLF PGA Golf Round 3 The Northern Trust. (Live) (2:00)

1:00 p.m. (5) KSTP World of X Games (1:00)

2:00 p.m. (5) KSTP WNBA Basketball Sea. at Vegas (Live) (2:00)

(7) KCCO PGA Golf Round 3 The Northern Trust. (Live) (3:00)

GOLF Korn Ferry Golf Round 3 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. (Live) (2:00)

2:30 p.m. (9) KAWE Prairie Sportsman (0:30)

3:00 p.m. (9) KMSP (15) KVRR WWE SummerSlam’s Hottest Moments (2:00)

NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Cup Series Race 1 Drydene 311. (Live) (3:00)

4:00 p.m. FSN Breaking Par (0:30)

4:30 p.m. ESPN Pardon the Interruption (0:30)

ESPN2 Around the Horn (0:30)

5:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

ESPN2 NFL Live (1:00)

GOLF Golf Central (1:00)

NBCSN NHL Special (0:30)

5:30 p.m. NBCSN NHL Live! (Live) (0:30)

6:00 p.m. ESPN2 SportsCenter Special (Live) (5:00)

FSN Angling Buzz (0:30)

GOLF Swing Expedition With Chris Como (0:30)

NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

6:30 p.m. GOLF Me and My Golf (0:30)

7:00 p.m. GOLF Feherty (1:00) USA WWE Raw (Live) (3:00) 8:00 p.m. GOLF Feherty (1:00)

8:30 p.m. NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

GOLF LPGA Golf Final Round Scottish Open. (2:30)

2:00 p.m. ESPN NBA: The Jump (Live) (1:00)

ESPN2 College Football Live (Live) (1:00)

3:00 p.m. ESPN Jalen & Jacoby (0:30)

ESPN2 NFL Live (Live) (1:00)

TNT NBA Basketball Playoffs. (2:30)

3:30 p.m. ESPN Highly Questionable (0:30)

GOLF PGA Tour: The CUT (0:30)

4:00 p.m. ESPN Around the Horn (0:30)

ESPN2 College Football Live (Live) (0:30)

GOLF Golf Highlights (1:00)

NBCSN Dirt Racing Lucas Oil Late Model Series (1:00)

4:30 p.m. ESPN Pardon the Interruption (0:30)

ESPN2 Highly Questionable (0:30)

8:30 p.m. NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

Wednesday, Aug. 19

10:00 a.m. GOLF Korn Ferry Golf Final Round Boise Open. (2:00)

NBCSN Sky Sports News (1:00)

11:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

ESPN2 First Take (2:00)

NBCSN The Rich Eisen Show (Live) (3:00)

Noon (9) KAWE Classical Stretch: By Essentrics (0:30)

ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

GOLF PGA Tour: The CUT (0:30)

12:30 p.m. GOLF PGA TOUR Champions Learning Center (0:30)

1:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Live (Live) (1:00)

ESPN2 SportsCenter (1:00)

GOLF Golf (Live) (2:00)

2:00 p.m. ESPN NBA: The Jump (Live) (1:00)

5:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)

5:30 p.m. ESPN2 Pardon the Interruption (0:30)

6:00 p.m. ESPN Monday Night Countdown (Live) (1:00)

NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

6:30 p.m. FSN Due North Outdoors (0:30)

GOLF CHAMPS Golf Round 2 Charles Schwab Series. (2:00)

8:30 p.m. GOLF PGA Golf Round 1 The Northern Trust. (4:00)

NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

Friday, Aug. 21

Noon (9) KAWE Sit and Be Fit (0:30)

GOLF Korn Ferry Golf Round 2 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. (Live) (2:00)

2:00 p.m. ESPN NBA: The Jump (Live) (1:00)

4:30 p.m. FSN 18 Holes (0:30)

5:00 p.m. FSN Swing Clinic (0:30)

5:30 p.m. (29) WFTC Whacked Out Sports (0:30)

6:00 p.m. GOLF PGA Golf Round 3 The Northern Trust. (4:30)

NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

7:00 p.m. (9) KMSP (15) KVRR Boxing Card TBA Premier Champions. (Live) (2:00)

8:30 p.m. NBCSN NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Live) (2:30)

9:00 p.m. ESPN UFC UFC Fight Night (Live) (3:00)

9:30 p.m. (9) KMSP Fox 9 Sports Now (0:30)

10:00 p.m. (9) KMSP Vikings GameDay Live (0:30)

11:00 p.m. (23) WUCW Ring of Honor Wrestling (1:00)

Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN: Sports Aug 16, 2020 to Aug 22, 2020

Late Laughs

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

A lot can happen in four months. You know where I was four months ago? With other people! I had an audience! I touched their hands … probably not a good idea, even then.

You know things are bad when Mom shows up. She’s not mad, she’s just disappointed that we no longer have constitutional rights.

It’s easy to escalate conflict in Chicago, just wear a Cubs hat to a Sox game or put ketchup

on a hotdog. They will cut you!

American tourists are now banned from the Bahamas as our coronavirus cases spike, which is a refreshing change from the usual reason Americans get banned from

Extreme Sudoku

country ever has an elephant pandemic, we’ll be in great shape.

Today was Trump’s first coronavirus briefing in almost three months. Usually, when someone disappears for three months, they end up on their own episode of “Unsolved Mysteries.”

After being delayed for several months, it looks like “The Bachelorette” is coming

back! This is interesting because usually the bachelorette and the winner become socially distant after the show.

Jimmy Kimmel Live

Last night, Kanye West held his first campaign rally in South Carolina. Kanye felt less like the president and more like a frazzled substitute teacher who couldn’t control his class.

the Bahamas: drunkenly trying to take a dolphin parasailing.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

I’m glad Trump knows how to identify an elephant. If the

go to help those in need in the

Cover Story this week

Terrifying truth

HBO’s newest drama mixes fictional horror with the reality of American racism

By Rachel Jones TV Media

If the novel “Lovecraft Country” drove you to the edge of your imagination, you’ll be thrilled to experience it visually, too, as a new series based on the Matt Ruff novel debuts Sunday, Aug. 16, on HBO. This chilling show is set in 1950s America and stars Jonathan Majors (“Da 5 Bloods,” 2020) as Atticus Black, who journeys with a friend and his uncle to search for his missing father. All the while, he must struggle to survive the terrifyingly racist individuals he meets along the way, not to mention a hell beast from another dimension.

The horror drama features Court ney B. Vance (“American Crime Sto ry”) as Uncle George Black and Mi chael Kenneth Williams (“Critical Thinking,” 2020) as Atticus’ longlost father. Jurnee Smollett (“Birds of Prey,” 2020) co-stars as Letitia Lewis, and Wunmi Mosaku (“Tem ple”), Jamie Harris (“Lost Transmis sions,” 2019), Abbey Lee (“The Neon Demon,” 2016), Jamie Chung (“Dangerous Lies,” 2020), Jordan Patrick Smith (“Vikings”) and Aunjanue Ellis (“The Subject,” 2020) also appear.

Atticus is a man who longs to see his absent father once more, but he’s also a Korean war veteran who al ways carries a pulp novel in his pock et and makes a point of filling his heart with love, despite the many injustices facing people of color

in the 1950s. His father, however, is the exact opposite: secretive, muleheaded and brutally pragmatic. The balance of their relationship is fraught and fascinating.

Uncle George is a warm and funny bookworm, and he has been an important father figure in Atticus’ life. As the publisher of the “Safe Negro Travel Guide,” George is instrumental in helping Atticus understand the importance of home and is also the one who introduces him to pulp novels.

Letitia Lewis, meanwhile, is a hustler and an artist who uses her work to promote civil rights. She’s return

tween episodes. Hippolyta Freeman (Ellis) is a housewife who has led a boring life thus far but has some serious adventure planned out for herself. Her efforts to go down these unexplored paths will take her to great heights — literally. Elsewhere, Eustice Hunt (Harris) is a county sheriff with tons of NAACP complaints against him. He, of course, finds an enemy in Atticus.

“Lovecraft Country,” the novel, was first published in 2016 by Harper Collins. Publishers were impressed with Ruff, the author of the book, who they said had an uncanny grip on traditional horror themes and an

fright, combining horror with hope and ambition, all with a touch of an alternate, transdimensional reality.

HBO picked up the rights to “Lovecraft Country” in 2017, a year after the novel was published. Just a year later, principal photography for the series started in Chicago, which was also where most of the filming took place, specifically at the Chicago Cinespace Film Studios and in White Pines State Park.

The premiere episode, “Sundown,” was helmed by French-Algerian director Yann Demange (“Top Boy”), the genius behind the successful TV series “Dead Set.” Demange’s directorial film debut was also a smash hit among critics, an independent movie entitled “’71,” which premiered in 2014 and earned him the British Independent Film Award for Best Director.

The second and third episodes of “Lovecraft Country,” “Whitey’s on the Moon” and “Holy Ghost,” were directed by Daniel Sackheim. The Emmy-winning director’s list of impressive directorial and production credits include episodes of iconic series such as “Law & Order,” “House,” “NYPD Blue,” “Game of Thrones,” “The Walking Dead” and “The Americans.” Most recently, his work on Netflix’s “Ozark” garnered him an Emmy nomination.

Jordan Peele (“Get Out,” 2017) and J.J. Abrams (“Lost”) are co-executive producers for the new “Lovecraft County” series, with Misha Green (“Underground”) acting as showrunner.

From the list, find each word and circle its letters in the puzzle to reveal a message relating to this week's theme

Rivers of the World

Jonathan Majors stars in “Lovecraft Country”

James-Kelly,LauraCheckley. 2020.112mins.Comedy.

Emperor

Shields Green (Okeniyi), who goes by “Emperor,” is a slave in the American south as the nation teeters on the brink of the Civil War. The descendant of African kings, Emperor is defined by his rebellious streak but has learned to control his nature in order to survive his master’s evil, disciplining hand. As slave uprisings begin to rekindle the fire in him, his son is targeted by their master’s whip, and Emperor decides to take action in order to save his family. Escaping to the north to join the rebel abolitionists, Emperor confronts Confederate soldiers and impresses the likes of John Brown (Cromwell), Levi Coffin (Dern) and Frederick Douglass (Lennix), with the kind of nothingto-lose nerve that defined a revolu-

Videoreleases

Military Wives

A group of women with partners serving in Afghanistan decides to form a choir to cope with the absence of their loved ones.

Coached by the passionate but severe Kate (Scott Thomas), the wives’ collective musical talent proves to be shaky at best, with the jaded Lisa (Horgan) often voicing the skepticism the women feel about the effectiveness of the group. As time goes on and their bond is strengthened by their shared grief, stress and

loneliness, the women’s singing becomes increasingly beautiful and proves vital to the emotional well-being of their military families. Eventually, their talent earns them a spot in the televised Festival of Remembrance, where their message and performance turn them into an international media phenomenon. This film is based on a true story. Director: Peter Cattaneo. Stars: Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan,JasonFlemyng,GregWise, EmmaLowndes,LaraRossi,Amy

tionary era in American history.

Director: Mark Amin. Stars: Dayo Okeniyi, James Cromwell, Kat Graham, Bruce Dern, M.C. Gainey, Ben Robson, Keean Johnson, Harry Lennix. 2020. 99 mins. Action.

Prevenge

After her husband dies in a climbing accident, a heavily pregnant Ruth (Lowe) begins to believe that her unborn baby is commanding her to kill. Encouraged by her fetus’s supposed psychopathic desires, Ruth begins to track down every person in her husband’s climbing group and takes grizzly revenge on them for allowing him to die.

Director: Alice Lowe. Stars: Alice Lowe, Kate Dickie, Kayvan Novak, Jo Hartley, Gemma Whelan, Tom Davis, Mike Wozniak. 2016. 88 mins. Comedy.

Solution below

Kristin Scott Thomas stars in “Military Wives”

CHANNEL GUIDE

By Jessica Gosse TV Media

WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX

“Lucifer” Season 5

Welsh actor Tom Ellis (“Isn’t It Romantic?,” 2019) returns to the role of Lucifer Morningstar in the anxiously awaited fifth season of this supernatural 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 abilities), 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, “Smallville”) and Eve (Inbar Lavi, “Imposters”). 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-oriented animated comedy on Netflix.

“Hoops” comes from the creators of the popular animated shows “Archer” 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 Coopers,” 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 coming 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, “Everwood”). From the moment they arrive, 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 basement. 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

Vescovo leads the mission with help from marine ecologist Lori Johnson as well as Parks Stephenson, an expert 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 models. 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 being destroyed.

“Beauty and the Beast” (2017)

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 preexisting 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 friendship 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 relatable 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 romance/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

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 abandoned 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 magical 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”

The show must go on Soap operas carry on in face of COVID-19

By Kyla Brewer TV Media

Soap operas, like just about every other major TV production, were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and forced to shut down for months. However, it appears that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for daytime actors as most of them slowly but surely get back at it, much to the delight of their fans. You can watch new episodes of your favourite soaps this week, starring the likes of Annika Noelle from “The Bold and the Beautiful” and John Aniston from “Days of Our Lives.”

Given that soap operas have been around since before the dawn of television, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’ve been so resilient. Weekday daytime serials existed on radio before making the jump to television in the 1940s and 1950s with such series as the now-defunct “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns.” They have continued to entertain viewers through the ages, persisting through wars, cultural upheaval and now a global pandemic.

These days, four daytime dramas survive in the network television landscape. “Days of Our Lives” details the various comings and goings of the Bradys, the Hortons and the DiMeras in the fictional town of Salem on NBC. “General Hospital” shines a spotlight on the sagas of doctors, nurses and their loved ones in Port Charles. CBS airs the sister soaps “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless,” about wealthy and working-class families. Set in Los Angeles, “B&B” originally centered around the Forrester family and its fashion business. “Y&R” takes place in the fictional Genoa City and originally focused on the Brooks and the Fosters.

All of the current soap operas had to shut down production in March, along with just about every other TV and movie production in the world, to protect the casts and crews from the threat of COVID-19. One of the American network daytime dramas was better suited to withstand the extended hiatus than the others. At the time, “Days of Our Lives” had been

shooting about eight months in advance. That means that the soap should have new episodes to offer viewers until sometime in October. In fact, “Days” fans may be in luck as they may be the only ones not to experience a break in their beloved stories. In early July, it was announced that production of the show would resume in September. Soon, “Days” characters such as Victor Kiriakas (John Aniston), Chloe Lane (Nadia Bjorlin) and Lucas (Bryan Datillo) will be back in action. However, the return will be bittersweet for fans of Kristian Alfonso, who’s played Hope for 37 years, as it was announced in July that she would be leaving the show.

“General Hospital” wasn’t quite so well poised to weather the shutdown, but the production had about two months’ worth of episodes in the can when things went awry in March. As the longest-running American soap opera currently in production, the show has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the years. A network staple since its premiere in 1963, it ran out of original episodes in May and has been treating viewers to classic episodes since. The soap resumed shooting on July 22, and new episodes are slated to begin airing on Monday, Aug. 3. Sonny (Maurice Bernard) will return to the airwaves, along with Jax (Ingo Rademarcher), Carly (Laura Wright) and the rest.

Over at CBS, both “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless” were approximately six weeks out when they had to stop shooting. The episodes lasted until April, at which point both series started airing memorable repeat episodes as part of special theme weeks. Repeats of “The Young and the Restless” featured such classic characters as Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper) and Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), while “The Bold and the Beautiful” whisked viewers away to Monte Carlo with Darin Brooks (Wyatt Spencer), Courtney Hope (Sally Spencer) and others.

“Both of these shows have extraordinary legacies, and these specially curated episodes are only a small portion of what we hope to be able to present in the coming

weeks,” CBS executive Amy Reisenbach said in an April deadline.com article.

When “The Bold and the Beautiful” returned with new episodes on Monday, July 20, it offered viewers a recap of what had been happening. “The Young and the Restless” had been slated to return to production on July 6, but producers decided to delay the return

due to an uptick in cases in California. There has been no official word from CBS as to when “Y&R” will return.

This is not the first challenge soap operas have faced over the years. In the mid-90s, they were pre-empted by extensive coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial, but fans didn’t forget about them. More recently, low ratings have them on

shaky ground as viewers’ appetite for such melodrama wanes. However, all may not be lost for soaps. Perhaps there’s a chance that the pandemic could lead to a revival for such sudsy daytime offerings. After all, TV viewers are now on the lookout for new content. The restart of soap opera production means new content in a medium now becoming saturated with reruns, even on pop-

ular streaming services. At some point, having something new to watch may trump watching the same old things.

If you’re looking for something new to while away your televisionwatching hours, watch the daytime drama unfold on “Days of Our Lives,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “General Hospital” and “The Young and the Restless.”

Annika Noelle as seen in “The Bold and the Beautiful”