Cover Story Meet the dads

NBC explores life after a loved one’s death in ‘Council of Dads’

By Rachel Jones TV Media

Who would you trust to raise your kids after you’re gone? It’s a question no one ever wants to think about, but NBC’s newest family drama reminds us that, sometimes, life doesn’t go as planned. “Council of Dads” bravely covers the emotional journey of a family dealing with the death of its patriarch. It was scheduled to premiere Tuesday, March 10, but in a last-minute decision, NBC pushed the premiere date to Tuesday, March 24, so you’ll have to wait a little longer to see it in your TV listings.

The show’s drama is kick-started when a loving father named Scott Perry (Tom Everett Scott, “13 Reasons Why”) learns that he has cancer. Naturally, he begins to put some serious thought into his family’s future — who will help his wife, Robin (Sarah Wayne Callies, “The Walking Dead”), care for their four children after he’s gone?

He evaluates his friends, wonder ing who he could ask to help support and guide the children through life’s challenges in his place. Ultimately, he realizes that no one man has all the qualities he’s looking for: he needs a team.

Scott forms what he calls a “council of dads” with three friends he asks to share the responsibility of looking after his kids after he’s gone. He picks his oldest friend, Anthony Lavelle (Clive Standen, “Vikings”), along with Larry Mills (Michael O’Neill, “Dallas Buyers Club,” 2013), who sponsored him in AA, and Dr. Oliver Post (J. August Richards, “Angel”), one of his own physicians. Interestingly, Post is both his surgeon and Robin’s closest friend.

Scott believes that these replacement dads collectively have the skills to stand in for him as his children — Charlotte (Thalia Tran, “Little,” 2019), Theo (Emjay Anthony, “Rake”), JJ (Blue Chapman, “Un done”) and Luly (Michele Weav er, “Love Is _”) — grow up.

This new show is based on the 2010 New York Times bestseller “The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Ill ness, and the Men Who Could Be Me,” by Bruce survived, it is apparent from NBC’s emotional trailer that Scott Perry’s character does not.

After producing hit shows such as “Parenthood,” “Friday Night Lights” and “This Is Us,” NBC has a proven track record when it comes to family drama. “Council Of Dads” has the potential to join these ranks and should prove just as magnetic as its predecessors. The series will cover some of the biggest milestones a family can experience: new babies, weddings, first loves and, of course, death. But it also seeks to examine the small, essential moments that pepper each of our lives and the many complexities of working through grief.

Late Laughs

At a rally in New Hampshire, Trump urged independent supporters to vote for the weakest Democrat. In response, they said, “You’re going to have to be more

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The Nevada Caucus says they will not use the same app used by the Iowa Caucus. That’s right, they’re going to go

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Two candidates dropped out of the race last night: Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet. Andrew Yang told his supporters, “Thank you for this amazing ride,” while Michael Bennet told his supporters, “Come on, son, let’s go home.”

A Little Late With Lilly Singh

No matter how expected it is, loyalty that these men have for their friend as they step up in ways they didn’t even know they were capable of. It’s an inspiring series, and it makes it clear that strong families aren’t always born, they can be built.

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If you don’t know what a game night is, it’s when you get together with your loved ones and slowly learn to hate them over three hours.

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Not sure about your significant other? Bring them to game night. That’s when you find the weak links. Seriously, who wants to procreate with someone who thinks the house you

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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

What an amazing moment for South Korea. They have “Parasite,” they have BTS — meanwhile, North Korea is this close to dial-up internet.

I’m not saying [Joe] Biden’s in trouble, but the coronavirus is actually polling ahead of him.

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4 Pull out of a commitment

5 G.I.’s mail drop

6 Post-harvest stalks

7 Come to pass

8 Spoon-bender Geller

1960’s chess

By Jessica Gosse TV Media

WHAT’S NEW ON PRIME “The Pale Horse”

While the last decade seemed to be devoted to superhero films and series, we now seem to be entering into an era of classic murder mysteries. From 2017’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” (and its upcoming sequel “Death on the Nile”) to last year’s “Knives Out,” an Oscar-nominated homage to the author, murder mysteries are all the rage right now. Prime presents another Christie adaptation in this mini-series, premiering Friday, March 13. Rufus Sewell (“The Man in the High Castle”) leads the series as Mark Easterbrook, whose life is upended when Det. Lejeune (Sean Pertwee, “Gotham”) tells him his name is among those on a mysterious list found in the shoe of a dead woman. He begins his own investigation and soon realizes that almost everyone on the list is dead — only he and one other remain. The investigation leads him to a small town, where he discovers a trio of so-called witches, a coven known as The Pale Horse — played by Rita Tushingham (“In the Flesh”), Sheila Atim (“The Feed”) and Kathy Kiera Clarke (“Derry Girls”) — who are said to be able to use the dark arts to kill people. Easterbrook is determined to find a rational explanation for what’s happening, but as more people die, he becomes increasingly unsure of what is real.

WHAT’S NEW ON DISNEY PLUS “Stargirl”

On Friday, March 13, catch this endearing stroy of self-discovery based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Jerry Spinelli. Graham Verchere (“Fargo”) stars as Leo Borlock, who, at a young age, learned that it’s often easier to blend in with the crowd than it is to stand out, and he’s been trying to be like everyone else ever since. When a quirky and confident new student named Stargirl (played by “America’s Got Talent’s” Season 11 winner Grace VanderWaal) shows up at his school, everything in his life begins to change. Stargirl is the epitome of a free spirit — she wears colorful and unusual clothing, plays the ukelele and doesn’t worry about fitting in. As she and Leo begin to spend time together, he begins to feel more comfortable with his authentic self. The film also stars Darby Stanchfield (“Scandal”) as Leo’s mother, Gloria, and Giancarlo Esposito (“Better Call Saul”) as Leo’s mentor, Archie.

BINGE THIS: “Smallville”

One of the biggest debates among comic book fans (next to the overarching debate of Marvel vs DC, of course) is always: who played the hero best? For Superman fans, there are a lot of actors to choose from. The list includes stars like Kirk Alyn, the original 1948 Superman; Christopher Reeve, young Clark Kent living in Smallville, Kansas, in this popular series that ran from 2001 to 2010 and is available in its entirety on Hulu. The series follows Kent as his powers begin to emerge in high school and he develops complicated friendships with Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk, “Beauty and the Beast”) and his future enemy Lex Luther (Michael Rosenbaum, “Impastor”). As the series continues, Kent transitions out of high school and is joined by a number of classic DC characters, including his cousin Kara, aka Supergirl (Laura Vandervoort, “Bitten”), Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow (Justin Hartley, “This Is Us”), and, of course, Lois Lane (Erica Durance, “Saving Hope”). All 10 seasons of this classic superhero series are available now on Hulu.

“Bates Motel” who played the hero four times between 1978 and 1987; Dean Cain, who played the hero on TV in the ‘90s; and Henry Cavill, who bulked up to play an impressive version of the icon in the most recent DC Justice League flicks. But if you were a teenager in the early 2000s, Tom Welling is likely to be your top choice. Welling stars as a

Delve into the twisted psyche of one of the most famous on-screen killers in this series that serves as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1960 horror film “Psycho.” You can watch the whole series now on Netflix. Freddie Highmore (“The Good Doctor”) stars as a young Norman Bates, who has just moved to Oregan with his mother, Norma Louise (Vera Farmiga, “Captive State,” 2019), after the death of his father. The series follows the duo as Norma purchases a motel, intending to run it and give herself and her son a fresh start. But when circumstances cause Norman’s mental illness to become dangerous, she must protect him — and everyone else — from himself. With each season, Norman’s psyche collapses a little bit more, and his flailing sanity impacts everyone from his mother and his half-brother, Dylan (Max Thieriot, “SEAL Team”), to the local sheriff, Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell, “The Morning Show”), and his best friend, Emma Decody (Olivia Cooke, “Vanity Fair”). Watch as Norman slowly transitions from a seemingly normal man to a full-on psycho in this thrilling series.

Bombshell

This Oscar-winning film is based on the true story of sexual harassment at Fox News and the efforts of some of the network’s brightest stars to bring the nefarious behavior to light. Facing criticism from their peers and the media at large, journalists Megyn Kelly (Theron), Gretchen Carlson (Kidman) and Kayla Pospisil (Robbie) struggle with the consequences of coming forward with allegations against Fox News CEO Roger Ailes (Lithgow). The film is an emotional look at the famous case that brought down a media titan and galvanized others to take a stand against workplace harassment.

Director:Jay Roach.Stars:CharlizeTheron,Nicole Kidman,Margot Robbie,John Lithgow,Allison Janney,Malcolm McDowell, Kate McKinnon,Connie Britton, Liv Hewson,Brigette LundyPaine. 2019. 109 mins. Drama.

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What a Wonder-Full World