dramas - page 11

Dickinson gets crazy-good when it heads to the loony bin [Apple TV+ recap]

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Dickinson recap: Emily Dickinson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) endures a trip to the asylum this week.
Emily Dickinson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) endures a mad trip to the asylum this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on Dickinson, the girls are off to the lunatic asylum and Henry needs to find his inner housewife to help his recruits pass an inspection.

This week’s episode of the Apple TV+ feminist alt-history fable is one of the strongest yet — and it makes the looming finale all the more bittersweet. Just when the creative team seems to be hitting its stride and enjoying themselves, the end must come.

After a brutal beatdown, Swagger shows its sensitive side [Apple TV+ recap]

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Swagger review: COVID-19 and a beatdown make for a heavy week.
COVID-19 and a beatdown make for a heavy week in the basketball drama.
Photo: Apple TV+

COVID-19 makes its debut in this week’s Swagger, the Baltimore-based Apple TV+ basketball drama inspired by the experiences of Kevin Durant in the junior leagues.

In the episode, titled “All on the Line,” Jace and his teammates cover up a crime. Crystal exhales and figures out how she feels. And Jackie and Jenna have it out. Everyone’s at the top of their game in one of the best episodes of the season so far.

The Morning Show comes down with a terminal case of COVID-19 [Apple TV+ review]

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Everybody's anxious for a reminder of the early days of COVID-19, right?
Everybody's anxious for a reminder of the early days of COVID-19, right?
Photo: Apple TV+

In The Morning Show season two finale, COVID-19 finally arrives, in case you missed that news cycle so much you needed to see it covered again on Apple TV+’s show about a news show.

If you were secretly hankering for such a thing, you’re in luck. Alex comes down with COVID-19, and Cory doesn’t want to cancel the launch of the network’s streaming app. Our interest has waned, so whatever, right? Let them do whatever they want. Just put down this sick dog of a show already.

Dickinson delves into poetry’s power during terrible times [Apple TV+ review]

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Dickinson review: Humanist poet Walt Whitman (played by Billy Eichner) witnesses the Civil War's toll.
Humanist poet Walt Whitman (played by Billy Eichner) witnesses the Civil War's toll.
Photo: Apple TV+

Emily wonders about her place in the world during the Civil War, and the poet gets a little help from some colleagues — while the Dickinsons get fleas and Henry gets a new job.

It’s an eventful week on Dickinson, Apple TV+’s feminist fantasia. And, as usual, the simplest answer is often the right one.

Swagger scores with unflinching look at personal problems [Apple TV+ review]

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Swagger review: Crystal (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) and Jace (Isaiah Hill) deal with some rough stuff this week.
Crystal (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) and Jace (Isaiah Hill) deal with some rough stuff this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on Swagger, Jace and Crystal come clean — but now what? She’s rent with guilt and pain. He wants to do something, but answers won’t come to him. Meanwhile, family troubles abound for Meg and Phil. And violence seems to be unavoidable in the game and on the streets.

Can Ike save this team and the community around it from itself? Money tends to speak louder than loyalty but Ike’s playing the long game and it might not pay off. The Apple TV+ drama about a Baltimore junior basketball league’s misfit team scores high this week.

The Morning Show busts out the eulogies [Apple TV+ review]

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The Morning Show review: Alex Levy drops a bombshell this week.
Alex Levy drops another bombshell this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s show about a news network is experiencing the calm before the storm as its second season nears its conclusion.

The whole staff of The Morning Show is still reeling from Mitch Kessler’s death and everyone’s putting up a brave front. But with a tell-all book about the show’s sleazy inner workings on the way, the mood is panicked and stricken.

The Morning Show ponders a post-Mitch world [Apple TV+ review]

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Review: When The Morning Show gets down to the business of journalism, it's a lot less annoying.
When The Morning Show gets down to the business of journalism, it's a lot less annoying.
Photo: Apple TV+

Mitch is dead — long live Mitch. This week on The Morning Show, everyone must deal with the death of their network’s former sex pest lead anchor — and things could go much better than they do. Alex is missing. Chip is throwing up. Cory is elated. And Mia’s beside herself. Can they clean themselves up in time to break the news?

It’s borderline impossible to take the Apple TV+ drama about a morning news show seriously now. But there are still three episodes of plot left this season. Can The Morning Show manage anything worthwhile before the curtain falls?

Swagger gets serious with drama on and off the court [Apple TV+ review]

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Swagger review: Crystal (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) has a rough week on and off the court.
Crystal (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) hits a rough patch in this week's episode.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on Swagger, Apple TV+’s new drama based on NBA star Kevin Durant’s youth, teen basketball stars Jace and Crystal find themselves between a rock and a hard place. He’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders in a good way, she in the worst way, and they need each other at a time when they can’t hear each other.

The episode, titled “We Good,” is all about learning to listen and to trust the people around you who actually have your best interests at heart. But it’s also about learning that your own problems need to be able to be put on ice when other people are in need.

The Morning Show goes fully off the rails in Italy [Apple TV+ review]

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The Morning Show review: Steve Carell and Jennifer Aniston really have nothing left to say.
Steve Carell and Jennifer Aniston really have nothing left to say.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on The Morning Show, veteran anchor Alex Levy tracks down her shamed former colleague Mitch Kessler in Italy and demands an ass-covering statement before she returns to the states.

Of course, nothing is ever simple on Apple TV+’s show about the morning news and the nightmarish people who produce it. COVID-19 is ramping up, and Alex won’t be able to leave Italy even if she wants to. So she’s stuck with Mitch, the last place she wants to be.

This is a fine episode from the standpoint of the performances of The Morning Show’s big stars and the writing that paints their characters as believable human beings. It’s also the single worst episode of television you could hope to air right now — a phalanx of bad decisions that would shame an entire season of The Newsroom.

Kevin Durant’s Swagger looks like a dramatic slam dunk [Apple TV+ review]

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Swagger review on Apple TV+: Isaiah R. Hill, left, and O'Shea Jackson Jr. deliver the swagger.
Isaiah R. Hill, left, and O'Shea Jackson Jr. deliver the swagger.
Photo: Apple TV+

NBA star Kevin Durant turned his experiences as a young basketball player into Swagger, Apple TV+’s highly promising sports drama. The series, which premieres Friday on Apple’s streaming service, follows the trajectory of a rising basketball star as he becomes a legend with help from his community.

Powered by strong acting, kinetic directing and a compelling storyline about life both on the court and off, Swagger scores from the jump. It looks like one of Apple TV+’s strongest series to date.

Intense Dr. Brain sci-fi K-drama hits Apple TV+ on Nov. 4

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Intense ‘Dr. Brain’ sci-fi K-drama hits Apple TV+ on Nov. 4
Dr. Brain risks madness to discover what killed his family.
Photo: Apple TV+

Dr. Brain will be the first Korean Apple Original when it launches on Apple TV+ in early November. It tells the story of a scientist so desperate to find out how his family was killed that he’s willing to connect his brain to theirs to access their memories.

A trailer released Monday gives a first look at how intense the six-episode series will be. Watch it now!

The Morning Show serves up a fresh scandal [Apple TV+ review]

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The Morning Show review: Karen Pittman finally gets a chance to shine.
Karen Pittman finally gets a chance to shine.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on The Morning Show, Cory throws everyone a curveball in his attempt to salvage Hannah’s reputation. Bradley, Daniel, Chip, Mia, Yanko, Stella and Laura all go into a panic.

And so, the Apple TV+ show about a morning news show enters crisis mode again. Is it too late to stop the train wreck? Or will Cory’s strategy work?

Truth Be Told season finale mostly satisfies [Apple TV+ review]

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Truth Be Told review: We finally get to the bottom of this season's crimes.
We finally get to the bottom of this season's crimes.
Photo: Apple TV+

The second season of Apple TV+’s first crime series ends with a series of reveals, reversals, betrayals and murders. Truth Be Told fully hit its stride this time out, and it’s been a pleasure spending time with podcaster Poppy Parnell’s family, real and adopted.

The season finale mostly satisfies — and leaves me hoping for more.

Everyone’s falling apart on The Morning Show [Apple TV+ review]

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The Morning Show review: The presidential debate prep in this week's episode feels fresh as last year's news.
The presidential debate prep in this week's episode feels fresh as last year's news.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on The Morning Show, Maggie Brener’s book is about to come out. Alex is having a panic attack. Chip is having a crisis of confidence. Cory’s on the attack. And Bradley’s having the time of her life.

Apple TV+’s showbiz show juggles tones and sympathies — and drops several of the balls along the way. Things gets good, and then bad, and then good again. It’s time for The Morning Show writers to make some hard choices about which direction to head. Well … it was time weeks ago, but now will do just fine.

Truth Be Told builds toward shocking season finale [Apple TV+ review]

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Truth Be Told review: Actor Mekhi Phifer steals another scene this week!
Actor Mekhi Phifer, right, steals another scene this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

The second season of Apple TV+’s first crime series is drawing to a gripping close. This week Truth Be Told, podcaster Poppy Parnell’s cause grows in righteousness even as the noose tightens around her childhood friend Micah Keith.

The little show that could soldiers on, propelled by the searing charisma of one of the best casts on TV.

Octavia Spencer stuns as things spiral out of control in Truth Be Told [Apple TV+ review]

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Truth Be Told review: Octavia Spencer will remind you just how good she is this week.
Octavia Spencer will remind you just how good she is this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Apple TV+ series about a true crime podcaster and her circle of friends is closing in on the truth, but will it be too late for it to matter? In this week’s episode of Truth Be Told, Poppy Parnell is reaping what she’s sown. But her one-time friend Micah Keith is right behind her.

Neither will be the same when this case is closed.

The Morning Show can’t shake its obsession with Mitch the sex pest [Apple TV+ review]

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The Morning Show review: We know Mitch (played by Steve Carell, left) is a creep. Why can't this show let him go?
We know Mitch (played by Steve Carell, left) is a creep. Why can't this show let him go?
Photo: Apple TV+

Alex is back on The Morning Show and the ratings are up, but is everyone happy? Her presence has everyone scrambling to prove that they’re on the right side of things. Meanwhile, disgraced former anchor Mitch just won’t go away.

Apple TV+’s inside look at the world of TV broadcast journalism stands at a precipice — and just below are mountains of crisis.

The truth proves dangerous this week on Truth Be Told [Apple TV+ review]

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Truth Be Told review: Mekhi Phifer and Octavia Spencer get closer to the truth in this week's episode.
Mekhi Phifer and Octavia Spencer get closer to the truth this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

The arrests and accusations fly this week on Apple TV+’s shocking crime drama, Truth Be Told. Podcaster Poppy Parnell needs to get a grip on her situation because her father’s in need, her partners in crime need space, and she’s starting to look too self-obsessed for her own good. Can she pump the brakes in time, or will Micah stop her first?

The Morning Show throws a welcome sapphic curveball [Apple TV+ review]

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Reese Witherspoon and Julianna Margulies take each other for a ride on The Morning Show this week.
Reese Witherspoon and Julianna Margulies take each other for a ride on The Morning Show this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on The Morning Show, COVID-19 is here and the newsroom is in shambles ahead of its rebranding. Bradley is jealous, claustrophobic and scheming. Alex is nervous. And everyone’s on the verge of a meltdown, and making very interesting choices indeed.

Can the Apple TV+ drama get out of its own way long enough to become as interesting as it threatens to be?

Hurricane Alex is about to hit The Morning Show [Apple TV+ review]

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The Morning Show review season 2: Alex Levy (played by Jennifer Aniston) gets ready for her big comeback.
Alex Levy (played by Jennifer Aniston) gets ready for her big comeback.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Morning Show gets ready for the triumphant return of Alex Levy, even as current events spiral and everyone sweats bullets. Can Cory keep the newscast together long enough for it to return?

As the Apple TV+ drama grapples with COVID-19 in its second season, the intra-office drama intensifies.

Truth Be Told uncorks another stellar showstopper [Apple TV+ review]

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Ron Cephas Jones & Haneefah Wood in Truth Be Told
Ron Cephas Jones and Haneefah Wood deliver the goods in this solid drama.
Photo: Apple TV+

Truth Be Told hurtles headlong toward a crash this week as true-crime podcaster Poppy Parnell and her childhood friend Micah Keith realize they both could represent their mutual destruction.

And once again, a stellar outburst by a supporting character steals the spotlight on this rock-solid Apple TV+ drama.

Star-studded Apple TV+ Swan Song Oscar-bait gets release date

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Star-studded Apple TV+ Swang Song Oscar bait gets release date
Mahershala Ali in “Swan Song,” coming soon to Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

The genre-bending film Swan Song is reportedly nearing its debut on Apple TV+. It’ll star Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, and the cast includes Glenn Close, Awkwafina and Naomie Harris.

In addition to appearing on the streaming service, Apple is planning a limited theater release beginning December 17 to qualify the movie for Oscar awards.

On Truth Be Told, more tantalizing clues fall into place [Apple TV+ review]

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Truth Be Told review: Things get even more strained for Micah, played by Kate Hudson, in this week's episode.
Micah (played by Kate Hudson) needs to do some serious damage control.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on Truth Be Told, the Apple TV+ true crime fiction series turns up the heat on podcaster Poppy Parnell and lifestyle (and deathstyle?) guru Micah. The characters find fewer allies everywhere they look.

Poppy (played by Octavia Spencer) knew this case would hurt — but she was hoping the pain would take longer to start.