A fresh crop

The scoop on TV’s new fall shows

“The Red Line”) and Hope (Alexa Mansour, “Loco Love,” 2017) and two friends who leave a place of safety on a quest.

There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 shutdown has had an impact on television productions, many of which were forced to close up shop in March. However, industry pundits remain optimistic, including the folks at Fox, who are planning to welcome three notable new series to their prime-time lineup this fall.

“Now, more than ever, consistency, results and stability take on an allnew emphasis,” Fox executive Marianne Gambelli said. “Fox is primed and ready for the fall with a great deal of stability across our entire pro- network’s newly acquired “L.A.’s Finest,” scheduled to make its network television debut on Monday, Sept. 21. The police drama from Hollywood bigwig Jerry Bruckheimer is a spinoff of his big-screen Bad Boys franchise. “L.A.’s Finest” follows “Bad Boy” Marcus Burnett’s sister, Syd (Union), and her new LAPD partner, Nancy (Alba). It’s important to note that the show isn’t entirely new, but it’s new to Fox. Its first season aired on the cable channel Spectrum. Fox does have two completely new series this fall — “Filthy Rich” and “Next.” Premiering right after “L.A.’s Finest” on Monday, Sept. 21, “Filthy Rich” stars Kim Cattrall (“Sex in the City”) as wealthy widow Mar- them into his will, threatening her hold on the family fortune.

Fox’s thriller “Next” is set to premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 6. It stars John Slatterly (“Mad Men”) as Silicon Valley pioneer Paul LeBlanc. When he discovers that an artificial intelligence that he created could be a threat to the human race, he works alongside Homeland Cybersecurity agent Shea Salazar (Fernanda Andrade, “Fallen”) to stop it.

CBS has plans for two new series this fall — one comedy and one drama — although neither has a concrete premiere date as of yet. The network’s “B Positive” is the only network television comedy scheduled to make its debut this fall. Chuck Lorre (“The Big Bang Theory”) and Marco Pennette (“Inconceivable”) serve as executive producers on the series about Drew (Thomas Middleditch, “Silicon Valley”), a newly divorced dad who discovers he needs a kidney transplant. Luckily, a woman from his past, Gina (Annaleigh Ashford, “Masters of Sex”), agrees to donate hers.

None other than Queen Latifah (“Chicago,” 2002) helms a reboot of the classic TV series “The Equalizer” for CBS. She stars as Robyn McCall, a mysterious woman who uses her unique skill set to help those who have no one else to turn to in this reimagining of the show that ran from 1985 to 1989. As in the original series, the Equalizer, as McCall is known, is a vigilante for justice. Chris Noth (“Law & Order”) and Lorraine Toussaint (“Orange Is the New Black”) also star.

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

Flights of Fantasy

by KNUTE NELSON

Videoreleases

Irresistible

Democratic political consultant Gary (Carell) heads from D.C. to the small town of Deerlaken, Wisconsin, to convince a retired veteran (Cooper) to run for mayor. Gary’s campaign first runs into trouble when his big-city ideals clash with the townsfolk’s rural culture, but when the Republicans send in their own consultant (Byrne) to counter Gary’s campaign, the fight for America’s Heartland escalates into an all-out political war. Director:JonStewart.Stars:Steve Carell,RoseByrne,ChrisCooper, MackenzieDavis,TopherGrace, NatashaLyonne,WillSasso,C.J.

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. Solution below

Wilson,BrentSexton,AlanAisenberg,DebraMessing.2020.101 mins.Comedy.

Blood Quantum

In a world overrun by the living dead, the isolated Mi’kmaq reserve of Red Crow discovers its Indigenous residents are immune to the zombie plague. The reserve quickly fortifies against the hordes of white zombies and refugees fleeing from surrounding cities, but the growing tensions inside the reserve may prove to be more dangerous than the threat outside its doors.

Director:JeffBarnaby.Stars:MichaelGreyeyes,Elle-MáijáTailfeathers,ForrestGoodluck,Kiowa Gordon,OliviaScriven,Stonehorse LoneGoeman,BrandonOakes, WilliamBelleau,DeveryJacobs. 2019.96mins.Horror.

Cut Off

Based on the international bestseller by Sebastian Fitzek and Michael Tsokos, this film follows coroner Paul Herzfeld (Bleibtreu), who finds a capsule inside the skull of a mutilated corpse. The capsule contains the phone number of his estranged daughter, who has gone missing. Paul enlists the help of a young artist (Bauer), and together they follow a series of similar clues left behind by the killer inside the bodies of various victims. As their investigation uncovers a more sinister plot, everything points to an isolated island, which Paul must find a way onto amid a winter storm.

Director: Christian Alvart. Stars: Moritz Bleibtreu, Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Lars Eidinger, Fahri Yardim, Enno Hesse. 2018. 132 mins. Thriller.