On newsstands December 29, 2016

Arnold Schwarzenegger takes over as host of The New Celebrity Apprentice

Wanted: head honcho for The New Celebrity Apprentice. Candidate must be larger than life. (Political experience a plus.)

As far as job vacancies go, the one at NBC’s reality competition—created when longtime host Donald Trump stepped away in order to begin his successful bid for the presidency—is pretty tricky to fill. So it’s a good thing that Arnold Schwarzenegger just happened to be available.

The hulking Austrian import’s colorful résumé already includes stints as a professional bodybuilder, headliner of blockbuster films like the Terminator franchise and, of course, his 2003–2010 tenure as governor of California. And now the 69-year-old will flex his muscles in a starring role on TV for the first time, calling the shots while 16 famous contestants battle it out to raise money for charity. (Although Trump will retain his executive producer title—and financial stake—he recently tweeted that he will devote “zero time” to the series moving forward.) Schwarzenegger reveals how he’ll put his own stamp on the boardroom—and what he really thinks about his polarizing predecessor.

Also in this issue: Winter Preview! 54 Shows!

• January: Our reports on all the new shows and returning favorites you’ll want to cuddle up indoors for, including Homeland, The Young Pope (starring Jude Law and Diane Keaton), scoop on the final season of Bones, Josh Holloway talks the return of USA’s Colony, and Norman Lear readies a modern take on One Day at a Time for Netflix

• February: Taken premieres on NBC, Damian Lewis on Showtime’s dollars-and-sense drama Billions, everything you need to know about the reboot of 24. Plus: what’s on tap for the Spring

• Plus: Matt Roush pays tribute to late Growing Pains star Alan Thicke, first looks at Sneaky Pete, The Fosters, Scorpion and Black Sails, Top Chef, guest columnist Gayle King on Why TV Morning Shows Matter and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.

On newsstands December 15, 2016

The Best of TV 2016: The Is Us Tops the List

Top 10? Really? Would you consider a Top 100? The quantity and quality of TV have never been greater, which made senior critic Matt Roush’s job harder than ever this year. “I should note how weird it is not to include such past and current faves as Game of Thrones (if only for the epic ‘Battle of the Bastards,’ capping an uneven season), Veep and Mr. Robot, and terrific limited series like The Night Of and The Night Manager,” Roush writes. “But the following are the top shows that truly defined TV in 2016 for me. Can’t wait to see what 2017 will bring.”

1. This Is Us (NBC)
This feels like a miracle: a family drama that values emotion, warmth and humor over contrived melodrama, able to make the heart soar and break, usually at the same time. This is the sort of show critics often have to plead with viewers to watch, since it lacks a criminal, legal or medical procedural hook. A rare ray of light in an industry all too eager to go dark, This Is Us is the year’s most refreshingly unexpected and welcome instant success. It strikes a powerful chord with an offbeat structure that tells the affecting story of the Pearsons over two timelines: Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) raise their three kids (one adopted at birth), while the adult versions of their offspring, now in their thirties, still wrestle with skeletons and secrets of the past. Manipulative? Sure. Effective? Absolutely. Each episode should come with its own box of tissues.

2. The People v. O.J. Simpson (FX) and O.J. Made in America (ESPN)
3. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW)
4. The Americans (FX)
5. Westworld (HBO)
6. The Crown (Netflix)
7. Atlanta (FX)
8. Full Frontal With Samantha Bee (TBS)
9. Stranger Things (Netflix)
10. black-ish (ABC) [along with Fresh Off the Boat, The Real O’Neals and Speechless]

Also in this issue:

• The Art of the Reboot: A look at the success (mostly) of rebooted franchises (including Gilmore Girls and MacGyver), and a look ahead to 24: Legacy, Training Day and One Day at a Time.

• The Duffer Brothers: Matt and Ross Duffer, creators of the breakout Netflix hit Stranger Things, are our Producers of the Year.

• Pauley Perrette: The NCIS star on how her character, forensic scientist Abby Sciuto, has made science and math cool.

• Tributes: A heartfelt farewell to some of TV’s most enduring figures, including David Duchovny’s homage to Garry Shandling.

• Tony Bennett: The iconic music man celebrates his 90th birthday with an all-star concert on NBC.

• The Year in Cheers & Jeers: What ranked and what tanked on TV in 2016.

• Best of Soaps 2016: Michael Logan makes his picks for the top daytime drama performances of the year.

• Plus: The Doctor Who Christmas Special, Sherlock, The Mick, Justice League Action, New Year’s Eve viewing guide and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.

 

On newsstands December 1, 2016

Fuller House: TV’s Most Popular Family Returns for a Holly, Jolly Season 2

Elias Harger, who plays Max—middle son of Candace Cameron Bure’s widowed veterinarian, D.J.—on Netflix’s Full House spinoff, Fuller House, is 9 years old. He weighs less than 80 pounds. He dances between takes. He looks super cute clad in red plaid pajamas for the show’s new Yuletide episode. But don’t let that sweetness fool you. Harger and the Fuller House gang may be all big toothy grins and geeky Christmas sweaters. And they may hug on screen…a lot. But they are fighting tough—and winning.

The classic redux drew enough buzz in Season 1 to joust with Game of Thrones as one of TV’s most popular shows among viewers 18 to 49. Now the sitcom is back with TV’s version of heavy artillery: a 13-episode season with four holiday-themed installments, guest stars galore and plenty of romance—setting up at least two surprising couples. Plus, there are several new characters and the first reunion of the Full and Fuller House casts (minus originals Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) since the spinoff’s pilot. As Max would say, “Holy Chalupas!” The group hugs can be seen from outer space. Read the full story here.

Also in this issue:

• Holiday Preview: Your guide to the season’s merriest episodes and specials, including This Is Us, The Goldbergs and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

• Hairspray Live!: Behind-the-scenes as the cast of NBC’s next live musical—including Harvey Fierstein, Jennifer Hudson, Derek Hough and newcomer Maddie Baillio—gets ready to say good morning, Baltimore.

• Chicago Fire: The Firehouse 51 crew celebrates their 100th episode.

• Life in Pieces: Colin Hanks on playing a dad on the CBS sitcom, becoming a director and what he’s learned from his famous father.

• Holiday Gift Guide: Finding the perfect present for the TV fan on your list.

• Plus: Timeless, Lethal Weapon, Criminal Minds, Star, the return of America’s Next Top Model, The Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses, The Bold and the Beautiful and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.

 

On newsstands November 17, 2016

The Walking Dead: Negan’s Reign of Terror is in Full Swing

It’s not about the zombies. Never has been, really. AMC’s The Walking Dead, now in its seventh season, continues to earn monster ratings with its apocalyptic tale of a world overtaken by flesh-eating corpses. In fact, the horrifying and controversial October 23 episode, in which good guys/audience favorites Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) were bashed to death by the show’s new baseball-bat-wielding supervillain, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), drew an audience of 17 million—the second-highest rating in the program’s history. It also marked an epic shift in the series. Gradually those hordes of voracious cadavers have become, for the most part, rather manageable, and it’s now time to face the harsh truth foreshadowed in Robert Kirkman’s acclaimed comic book series: The dead aren’t the real threat here.

“It’s increasingly clear in the world of TWD that the bigger problem is the living,” Morgan says. “By now, pretty much every character has figured out how to deal with the zombies, but they haven’t figured out how to deal with each other, and that is a far greater danger to what’s left of mankind. Now this is Negan’s world, and the viewers are going to have to strap it on and live in it with us.”

This increasingly hopeless scenario—and the continued loss of beloved characters—comes with no apology from executive producer Scott M. Gimple. “Yes, this season has been brutal,” he concedes, “but it’s like Krypton exploding or Bruce Wayne’s parents dying or Luke Skywalker leaving Tatooine. This is our story. This is what propels us forward. We’re asking the audience to have faith and fight the fight, right alongside the characters they love.” Read the full story here.

Also in this issue:

• Gilmore Girls: Our report from the set of the beloved dramedy’s Netflix reboot, A Year in the Life.

• Savage Kingdom: A behind-the-scenes look at Nat Geo Wild’s ambitious new safari docuseries.

• The Affair: The third season of Showtime’s juicy drama jumps ahead and takes a darker tone.

• Dolly Parton: The country music icon is back with another holiday movie on NBC, Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.

• Plus: Arrow’s 100th episode, Scorpion, Vikings, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, Top Chef, Days of Our Lives and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.