| Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who wants to put their prediction skills to the test ahead of television's biggest night. |
| Are you ready for some Emmys? From a workplace trauma drama showdown between "Severance" and "The Pitt" to a zillion actors from "The White Lotus" competing against one another, the results from this weekend's 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will surely prompt strong reactions. But before the chatter begins, let us help you pregame all the action. If you're placing any silly bets or just want to assess your TV expertise, check out this predictions roundup from our brilliant awards czar Glenn Whipp, who has been tracking the race all season. And if you're wondering who in the world is emceeing this year's telecast, this piece on Nate Bargatze from culture columnist Mary McNamara tells us why the comedian is both an odd choice to host and just the sort of non-Hollywood type who may provide a refreshing jolt to the Emmys; we also have a Q&A with the comedian. But wait, you don't know when or where to watch the Emmys? This guide will give you those details. Click, bookmark or just make any of those links one of the hundreds of browser tabs you keep open indefinitely. And be sure to check back in with us on Sunday at latimes.com/emmys to follow our live coverage. |
| But if you're looking for other ways to warm up your forecasting muscles ahead of the Emmys, the fifth season of "Only Murders in the Building" premiered on Hulu this week. The trio of podcasting murder sleuths have yet another curious death in their co-op to investigate — and this one has them dealing with the mob. (We just hope to someday get a bottle episode focused on insurance adjusters visiting the Arconia to evaluate what all this bloodshed means for the building's master policy.) Co-creator and showrunner John Hoffman stopped by Guest Spot to tease this season's comedic adventures in detective work. |
| Also in this week's Screen Gab, we recommend an Aussie spin-off of a British crime-comedy series, and a new true-crime documentary about a mom's cruel catfishing of her teen daughter and her daughter's boyfriend that has everyone talking. |
ICYMI |
| Must-read stories you might have missed |
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| Steven Spielberg delivers a speech during the press preview of "Jaws the Exhibition" at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. (Etienne Laurent / For The Times) |
| 'The film certainly cost me a pound of flesh': Spielberg returns to 'Jaws' via new Academy Museum exhibit: The Academy Museum is opening its largest single-film show yet, collecting props and artifacts from a movie that invented the summer blockbuster as we know it. |
| 'Seen & Heard' examines Black TV history, shining light on its successes and struggles: The two-part HBO documentary executive produced by Issa Rae and directed by Giselle Bailey and Phil Bertelsen isn't comprehensive, but it is interesting and moving. |
| How an O.C. teen joined Kanye West's inner circle and filmed him unfiltered for six years: For six tumultuous years, director Nico Ballesteros followed Ye at close range, capturing the artist's rawest highs and lowest lows in the new documentary "In Whose Name?" |
| In 'The Girlfriend,' Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke 'go feral.' But who's the real villain?: The co-stars discuss their new Prime Video psychological thriller series based on Michelle Frances' book. |
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| Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times |
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| Anna Samson in "Return to Paradise." (BBC Studios) |
| "Return to Paradise" (BritBox) |
| Fans of the long-running, Caribbean-set "Death in Paradise" mystery series will find themselves on familiar ground with this cozy Australian variant. The basic elements are all in place: seaside small town; an oddball London detective half-reluctantly, half-compulsively joining the local force; a murder whose commission is seemingly impossible; a sudden moment of inspiration accompanied by a rapid montage of flashbacks and a gathering of suspects where the detective explains how it was done and a constable comes to take them away. The twist here is that the detective, scarily intense, socially awkward Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Samson), is coming home to a place she left under a cloud, having ditched her hunky surfing pathologist boyfriend (and son of her boss, played by Catherine McClements) years before at the altar. There's no lizard in this series, though there is a dog, and tropical cocktails are traded for flat whites and long blacks. But it otherwise checks the boxes, pushes the right buttons and rings all the bells. — Robert Lloyd |
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| Kendra Licari in "Unknown Number: The High School Catfish." (Photo from Netflix) |
| "Unknown Number: The High School Catfish" (Netflix) |
| If you're in the mood to yell at your television, bump this documentary up a few spots on your watchlist. Director Skye Borgman presents a twisty dive into the disturbing story of Kendra Licari, a Michigan mom who cyberbullied her daughter Lauryn and her then-boyfriend for more than a year, beginning when the children where 13. You might remember the headlines from when Licari was arrested in December 2022 or when she took a plea deal a few months later, admitting to the harassment and cyberstalking, having used a burner app to disguise herself. Regardless of how much (or how little) you know about the case, the draw with this documentary are its participants. All of the major players — including Lauryn and Kendra — sat down for candid interviews, walking viewers through the saga. Some of the messages are deeply unsettling, but those interviews, coupled with smart editing, will send a chill down your spine. — Kaitlyn Kuamani |
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| A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they're working on — and what they're watching |
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| Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez return as a trio of podcasting murder sleuths in Season 5 of "Only Murders in the Building." (Patrick Harbron / Disney) |
| Just when they thought they were out, they got pulled back in. The new season of "Only Murders in the Building" has the May-December bestie trio-turned-true crime podcasters trying to solve the murder of Lester (Teddy Coluca), the Arconia's beloved doorman, who they found lying lifeless in the compound's fountain. After tackling the podcast industry, Broadway and Hollywood, Mabel (Selena Gomez), Oliver (Martin Short) and Charles (Steve Martin) find themselves diving into the world of organized crime of a different variety. The fifth season arrived this week with a three-episode drop; a new episode will release weekly until the finale. Series co-creator and showrunner John Hoffman stopped by Screen Gab to discuss venturing into mob territory, what he's watching and more. — Yvonne Villarreal |
| This season ventures into mob territory, but it's not what we think. You present this idea of the new mob of New York — three CEO billionaires played by Christoph Waltz, Renée Zellweger and Logan Lerman — how long have you thought about bringing this twist to that plot device into the fold? And will we notice any similarities to real-life figures? |
| It always kicks off with thinking about our victim — their life, and what they might have become involved in that led to their death. This season we have Lester, a doorman at the Arconia — a pre-war apartment building in New York — who had to have seen quite a lot in his 30 years on the job. Then, stepping back to look at the city at large and what factions may have been wielding power surrounding big-time Manhattan real estate in those 30 years — it wasn't hard to imagine mob ties. But what does that all look like today? That was the fun opportunity here — to subvert the "classic mob" expectations while also asking who has that mob power now in New York? It was an almost inescapable pull toward three very idiosyncratic billionaires — and casting geniuses like Christoph, Renée and Logan only made us lean more into the subversive and singular. I leave to the audience the job of making any real-life connections — and I'll only say "whatever name strikes you, yeah, a little bit of them, too." That's where we felt "old mob meeting new mob" matched with our greater themes for the season. What's the past worth? And will our trio be able to protect their home against these powerful influences — taking on the defining job of a doorman — while also trying to bring justice to his killer? |
| The way the camera work leads us into the Velvet Room felt very Martin Scorsese-coded. And "The Godfather" home in Staten Island makes a cameo early on. What were the visual and storytelling inspirations you referenced in crafting this season? |
| I directed the first two episodes again this season — and all back and forth within a block of shooting over the course of two weeks — and wowza were those different episodes! I'll admit to a good bit of twitching on those days. What kept me together was my fantastic DP, Kyle Wullschleger, and AD, Cedric Vara, along with references from the masters. If viewers have learned anything from this show, they know we love a good homage. The work of [Francis Ford] Coppola and Scorsese embeds in you when you first see them and revisiting and giving nods when we could felt very right and exciting. When it came to the second episode, "After You," I leaned on a much more orchestral fluid pastiche vibe that was partially inspired by Terence Davies' sublime "Distant Voice, Still Lives" which is a lifelong favorite of mine. Bringing it back to our comedy takes, though, on the mob stories — I loved the chance to riff on images embedded in us all and flip them a little for today. I think the Caccimelio brothers are my personal favorite example of that, as, sure, they looked like they're plucked out of "Goodfellas," but... well, you'll just have to watch for yourself! |
| Mabel asking questions like, "Does anybody know how to clean DNA off a dead body?" has me wondering what your Google search history looks like over the course of working on a season. Give me a sampling of some of the things you looked up this season. |
| Oh God, I'm sure I'm on a list somewhere thanks to all my murder-related questions! So, here's me publicly stating that they are all for work, I promise! What's more concerning though is the amount of birding forums I've scrolled through, or scanning pages and pages of cryo chambers, or worse ... my deep dive into the size of a gardenia and how long it lives — frozen or not. That lasted a good few days. |
| Martin, Steve and Selena really know how to find the funny in the most simple or obscure lines. What is one line delivery that stands out from each of them over the show's run? |
| PICK JUST ONE?!?! The thing about those three is they will never cease to surprise me with the personal flair they bring to each delivery. Working with them for five seasons now, you'd think I'd know all their tricks, but truly, they amaze me with how they bring these words to life on set. OK, I'll try to pick three: |
| Steve: In Season 3, watching him manage every version of "Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?" — in private practice over an omelet, having a panic attack in rehearsal, and then nailing that sucker so hard on stage was one of a million "I could watch this all damn day" moments. |
| Marty: In Season 1, Episode 3,he's having a fantasy on stage with a bunch of suspects and he says a line that ends with the word "moxie" — and it's the first time he added an "Oliver snort" at the end of it. That snort became show legend from that moment onward. No one can do it like him. |
| Selena: In this Season 5, Episode 3, she's standing at the end of Charles' kitchen island where they are currently performing an "in-home autopsy" and she puts such a perfect spin on the line, "I know this is weird to say standing over a dead body, but I feel like I'm in a really good place right now." Heaven. |
| What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know? |
| OK, I'm always bad at these because I'm always behind in watching things currently on — but yes, of course, I too loved "Adolescence" [Netflix] and also loved "Ripley" [Netflix] from last year — I wouldn't shut up about those — and more recently, it's been all about "The Ballad of Wallis Island" [Peacock]. Love. All that and "Antiques Roadshow" [pbs.org], too. |
| What's your go-to "comfort watch," the movie or TV show you go back to again and again? |
| I'm a broken record with my go-to comfort watch but there's nothing for me that beats — as a television viewer — revisiting "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" [Hulu, Disney+]. Just bang for buck, a collection of comedic characters matched up with actors making a connection through precise writing and ingenuity that stands alone for me as to the comfort of serial storytelling. Someone who could turn the world on with a smile? Yes, please. |
| Who has possession of the Loretta doll from last season? (It haunts me.) |
| Let's just say I've gone to great lengths to try and get rid of it, but it continues to pop up on my doorstep and I'm getting a bit worried ... |
