Loved and lost

By Kenneth Andeel TV Media

One of Showtime’s award-winning prestige dramas is coming to an end. On Sunday, Aug. 25, the fifth and final season of “The Affair” kicks off, the titular affair — the other is Noah Solloway, played by Dominic West (“The Wire”). Noah is a writer and a school teacher with what most would consider the perfect family: he has four beautiful children with his wife and first love, but, of course, all season, but before I tell you about the losses, let me tell you what the show has gained. Yet another decorated actor from film and television has joined the cast: Anna Paquin (“True Blood”) plays the grown-up version of Alison and Cole’s daugh-

Now to the losses. The aforementioned cliffhanger was about as big as they get for a television show: Alison was found dead after an apparently successful suicide, but in the penultimate episode of the season, it was revealed that she had actually been murdered. The sad details of Alison’s life and death are sure to affect all of the characters in a big way in Season 5, but a grown-up Joanie will be es

Final Season

ously a huge risk for a show to take, but in this particular case, it was unavoidable: Wilson asked to leave the show, so the writers were forced to find a way for Alison to disappear. Thanks to the myriad of questionable and self-destructive decisions the character has made over the course of the series, there were likely a lot of options.

Wilson has been diplomatically (or strategically?) coy about her exact reasons for departing. The issue of pay parity has come up in several interviews, but in subsequent comments she clarified that she never discussed the matter of compensation with the show’s producers. In an interview with the New York Times, Wilson said, “It isn’t about pay parity, and it wasn’t about other jobs. But I’m not really allowed to talk about it. There is a much bigger story.” A mystery, it seems.

Late Laughs

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Shark Week is officially here! And if you’re excited by that, you’re either a marine biologist or really high.

It just came out that Siri has actually been recording people when they have sex. Not only that, Fitbit also counts how many steps you take on your walk of shame.

A Delta pilot was removed from a flight because people thought he had been drinking. Flight attendants got suspicious because he couldn’t steer with two 40s duct taped to his hands.

A new study found that kids see bearded men as strong but unattractive. This study raises a lot of questions like, “Why the hell are we asking kids if they find bearded men attractive?”

Jimmy Kimmel Live

Have 30 years of reality TV taught the Democrats nothing? You can’t go from 20 candidates right to one. First you have to put them on an island and separate them into tribes!

of her child and made up one half of

The mystery deepened when it was announced earlier this year that Jackson would not be returning to the show, either. His reasons are even more mysterious — Jackson hasn’t commented at all on his departure, and some fans suspect it was an act of solidarity with Wilson. Whatever the secret reasons for the pair’s exit, there’s no disputing that Season 5 of “The Affair” will be a significantly different show.

The president weighed in today with his review of Night 1, lashing out at CNN moderator Don Lemon. We have dueling Dons, and it’s not every day you see an orange attack a lemon, so that was fun.

Late Night With Seth Meyers

According to a new study, customers rated Taco Bell as the worst Mexican fast food chain. Said Taco Bell, “Guys! They called us food!”

By Jessica Gosse TV Media

WHAT’S

NEW ON NETFLIX:

“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance”

Many millennials will remember director Jim Henson’s 1982 dark fantasy/adventure film “The Dark Crystal.” The film brought viewers to the magical world of Thra, which was filled with elf-like creatures called Gelflings, peaceful wizards called Mystics, evil lizard-like birds known as Skeksis and, of course, the powerful gem and life source: the Dark Crystal. Now, nearly four decades later, the Jim Henson Company takes us back to Thra in the Netflix original series “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.” The series acts as a prequel to the original film and follows three Gelfings as they start a rebellion and embark on a journey to save their world. Creators have pulled together a star-studded cast, with Taron Egerton (“Rocketman,” 2019) and Nathalie Emmanuel (“Game of Thrones”) as leads, not to mention supporting actors Mark Hamill (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” 2017), Helena Bonham Carter (“Ocean’s Eight,” 2018), Andy Samberg (“Brooklynn Nine-Nine”), Awkwafina (“The Farewell,” 2019) and many more. Return to Thra on Friday, Aug. 30, when “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” premieres on Netflix.

“Falling Inn Love”

When Gabriela (Christina Milian, “The Oath”) spontaneously enters a “Win An Inn” contest after a rough breakup and wins, she suddenly finds herself leaving her big-city life in San Francisco for a charming New Zealand town, where she plans to restore the inn and sell it. Enter the handsome local contractor, played by Adam Demos (“UnREAL”). As the two team up to restore the inn, both he and the town begin to grow on Gabriela. Can restoring the inn also restore her broken heart? Find out when “Falling Inn Love” premieres on Thursday, Aug. 29.

“Trolls: The Beat Goes On” Season 7

In what might be the last season of this animated DreamWorks series, the happy-go-lucky trolls sing, dance and hug their way through even more adventures when Season 7 of the cartoon premieres Tuesday, Aug. 27. While the show doesn’t boast the A-list voices from the movie, some of the voices should be familiar to you. Skylar Astin (who starred in 2012’s “Pitch Perfect” alongside original Poppy Anna Kendrick), voices Branch, while prolific voice actor Amanda Leighton (you may know her as Emma from “The Fosters”) voices Queen Poppy. If your little ones (or you) can’t get enough of these little rays of sunshine, have no fear — “Trolls World Tour” is slated for a big-screen release in 2020, and Sam Rockwell (“Fosse/Verdon”), Jamie Dornan (“The Fall”) and Kenan Thompson (“Saturday Night Live”) will lend their voices to those of the returning original cast.

“Million Pound Menu”

On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the intense British cooking show “Million Pound Menu” premieres on Netflix. Resembling a mash-up of “MasterChef” and “Dragons Den,” each episode features two restaurateur hopefuls who put their teams to work for three days in a fully stocked pop-up restaurant in an effort to convince relationship with her fiancé, Adam (William Fichtner, “12 Strong” 2018). With the support of their friends from AA, the two navigate the ups and downs of life and try to keep on track. You can watch Season 6 starting Tuesday, Aug. 27, just in time to catch up before Season 7 premieres on CBS on Thursday, Sept. 26.

WHAT’S NEW ON AMAZON PRIME:

“Carnival Row” major hospitality figures to invest in them. Hosted by Fred Sirieix (“First Dates”), the series follows each culinary team as they are judged by both investors and the public on not just their food, but management, strategy and service.

WHAT’S NEW ON HULU:

“Mom” Season 6

Anna Faris (“What’s Your Number?,” 2011) returns as single mom Christy Plunkett in Season 6 of this hit comedy series. This season, Christy returns to school in an attempt to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer. Meanwhile, her eccentric mother, Bonnie (Allison Janney, “I, Tonya,” 2017), tries to maintain a healthy

On Friday, Aug. 30, the newest Prime original series, “Carnival Row,” premieres. Set in a Victorian fantasy world, this much-anticipated series looks at the influx of mythological creatures into an increasingly intolerant society after the invasion of their homeland. The eight-part series is centered on the slum known as Carnival Row, where human detective Rycroft Philostrate (Orlando Bloom, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” 2017) and refugee faerie Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne, “Suicide Squad,” 2016) rekindle an affair that soon becomes dangerous. Vignette is hiding a dark secret, and Rycroft is working to uncover the truth about a string of vicious murders. Is there a connection? The series was created by writer/ producers Travis Beacham (“Pacific Rim,” 2013) and René Echevarria (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”), and you won’t want to miss this supernatural thriller.

Video

The Secret Life of Pets 2

Excited at the prospect of going on a family road trip out of the city, Max (Oswalt) and Duke (Stonestreet) meet Rooster (Ford), the local sheepdog, who encourages Max to step outside his comfort zone and be brave. Back in the city, Gidget (Slate) must learn how to successfully rescue Max’s beloved toy, Busy Bee, from a cat-infested apartment. Meanwhile, Chloe (Bell), Snowball (Hart) and Daisy (Haddish) decide to rescue a tiger cub named Hu from circus owner Sergei (Kroll) using the new-found skills their friends have acquired on their adventures. on page 15.

Directors:ChrisRenaud,Jonathan delVal.Stars:PattonOswalt,Kevin Hart,HarrisonFord,EricStonestreet,JennySlate,TiffanyHaddish, LakeBell,DanaCarvey,Bobby Moynihan,NickKroll.2019.86min. Animation.

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Mammals

ARMADILLO

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