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.

On newsstands November 3, 2016

Ryan Phillippe Takes Aim at a Heroic New Role in the USA Thriller Shooter

Stuntmen of the world, beware: Ryan Phillippe just might put you out of a job. On USA’s new thriller Shooter, he portrays Bob Lee Swagger, a former military sniper falsely accused of plotting to assassinate the president. There will be plenty of pulse-pounding moments, and Phillippe has no intention of relying on Hollywood magic to convey his heroics. “There’s a scene in the premiere where I have to go off a building—the technical team said it was the highest jump they’d ever seen an actor do,” he says proudly. “I have a pretty extensive martial arts background, and I’ve had lots of weapons training through different projects, but I haven’t gotten a chance to do a ton of action. It needed to happen before I got too old!”

With that in mind, it’s fair to say that this may just be the role he was born to play, even if he isn’t the first to tackle it. The series is based on Stephen Hunter’s 1993 novel Point of Impact (there are eight other Bob Lee Swagger tomes in the collection), as well as the 2007 film adaptation starring Mark Wahlberg, who serves as executive producer on the show. “Mark loves this character,” says Phillippe, who migrated from teen flicks in the ’90s to decidedly adult roles on DirecTV’s Damages and ABC’s Secrets and Lies. “The fact that he trusted me to take him over really means a lot.”

In this incarnation, Swagger is living a quiet life following a career-ending injury suffered while serving with the Marine Corps in Afghanistan. Unlike the film version, this Swagger has an added vulnerability: his wife, Julie (One Tree Hill’s Shantel VanSanten), and their 6-year-old daughter, Mary (Lexy Kolker). The added emotional layers—and 10-episode format—should allow for richer storytelling, says Phillippe. “In a two-hour movie, you have to gloss over some of the intricacies and motivations. I saw this as an opportunity to update this story for today.”

Also in this issue:

• The Exorcist: Geena Davis opens up about the horror show’s game-changing reveal.

• Let’s Make a Deal: Our intrepid reporter helps design one of the game show’s “Zonk” prizes.

• Good Behavior: Downton Abbey’s Michelle Docker trades crumpets for cons on TNT’s new noir drama.

• This is Us: Sterling K. Brown takes us behind the scenes of NBC’s new breakout hit dramedy.

• MacGyver: A candid chat with Lucas Till and George Eads, stars of CBS’s update on the classic action romp.

• Plus: Designated Survivor’s Maggie Q, NCIS: Los Angeles, Empire, Westworld, The Librarians, Code Black and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.

On newsstands October 20, 2016

Madam Secretary Puts a Dramatic Spin on the Presidential Election

Some shows are ripped from the headlines, but Madam Secretary prefers to rip its stories from the future. The hit Beltway drama kicked off its third season this month with President Conrad Dalton (Keith Carradine) angering his biggest fat-cat donor by acknowledging climate change and the danger it’s posing to America’s naval bases. The fallout was swift and it was deadly: Dalton got a middle-finger salute from his own party members and failed to win the nomination to run for a second term—an embarrassing fate suffered by only one elected president in U.S. history (that would be Franklin Pierce in 1856). Now what? The only possible way Dalton can remain in the White House—according to his highly trusted secretary of state, Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni)—is to make a ballsy move and run as an independent. It’s impractical. It’s extremely chancy. It’s probably insane, even in the progressive and aspirational world of Madam Secretary.

“It’s looking more and more likely that our country will one day move beyond a two-party system, so we’re putting it out there now,” Leoni says. “We’ve been adamant since Episode 1 to never label any character as a Republican or Democrat—and that includes everyone in the Dalton administration—so we don’t take this new direction lightly. In fact, when the idea of an election story first came up, we all thought, ‘How can we possibly do this without discussing political parties?’”

The election results will be revealed on air in December, and Dalton simply must come out on top. Otherwise, Elizabeth is out of a job and then there’s no show, right? “I don’t think Dalton necessarily has to win reelection, though that might feel like a built-in conclusion,” executive producer Barbara Hall says. “We’re taking the most interesting and surprising path possible with this election story, loading it with twists and turns, as well as rules and laws [our viewers] might not know about.”

Also in this issue:

• Halloween Preview: Your guide to the season’s spookiest programming, including black-ish, Scorpion, Superstore, The Middle and more.

• Supergirl: Lynda Carter, aka the original Wonder Woman, guest stars in a presidential role.

• The CMA Awards: The genre’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis and Reba McEntire, look back at 50 years of country’s big night.

• Plus: Jane Pauley takes over CBS Sunday Morning, How to Get Away With Murder, Rectify, This is Us, Insecure, MacGyver, Bull, Salem, The Young and the Restless and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.

 

On newsstands October 6, 2016

Michael Weatherly is Bull-ish on His New Hit Series

Just five months after exiting NCIS, Michael Weatherly already has a new hit on his hands. After a 13-year stint playing fan fave Tony DiNozzo, he’s seamlessly transitioned to his own CBS drama. Bull is the brainchild of psychologist Phil McGraw (yep, that Dr. Phil) and his son Jay, who based the series on the former’s early career as a trial consultant. Like McGraw, Dr. Bull has a team of experts—lawyer Benny (Six Feet Under’s Freddy Rodriguez), ex-cop Danny (Jaime Lee Kirchner), stylist Chunk (Christopher Jackson), hacker Cable (Annabelle Attanasio) and neurolinguistics expert Marissa (Geneva Carr)—with whom he travels the country helping defendants plead their cases more effectively using high-tech research, behavioral cues, jury analysis and the occasional makeover. But Weatherly says the similarities between Bull and McGraw stop at their chosen career.

“The biggest mistake everyone makes is that I’m playing Dr. Phil,” he points out. “Others have called the series ‘inspired by’ Dr. Phil, which I also don’t get.” McGraw, he says, is more of a tech adviser. And to Weatherly, this is a very important distinction, because it manages expectations. “I’ve heard people go, ‘I watch it thinking of Dr. Phil,’” he says. “Well, if I gave you a glass of orange juice but told you it was milk, it would taste funny to you, right? I don’t want audiences to have preconceived notions.” Especially since Bull is hardly a straight shooter. The clue is in the name. “It’s not called Mr. Earnest, you know? There’s an element of a snake-oil salesman to him,” he says. “Even I’m not sure when he’s bluffing.”

Also in this issue:

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Our report from the set of Fox’s time-warped reboot of the 1975 cult classic movie.

• Killing Reagan: National Geographic Channel adapts the bestselling book about the 1981 Presidential assassination attempt.

• The Simpsons: TV’s first family of animation celebrates their 600th episode just in time for the annual “Treehouse of Horror.”

• Plus: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown turns 50, NCIS, Scorpion, Blindspot, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supernatural and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.