TV Talk: The Hot Zone, Catch-22, black-ish, Grey’s Anatomy, and More!
Upcoming Series Premiere
The Hot Zone (National Geographic)
In 1989, the Ebola virus appears in chimpanzees in a research lab in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and there is no known cure; a U.S. Army scientist puts her life on the line to head off an outbreak before it spreads to the human population.
Series Premiere
Catch-22 (Hulu)
Artful dodger Yossarian is a bombardier in the U.S. Air Force during World War II who is upset that thousands of people who he has never met are trying to kill him. His biggest problem isn’t the enemy, though, it’s his own army that keeps increasing the number of missions soldiers must fly in order to complete their service. And if Yossarian tries to make an attempt to avoid his assignments, he will be in violation of catch-22, a bureaucratic rule that states a man is considered insane if he willing continues to fly dangerous missions, but a request to be removed from duty is evidence of sanity and makes him ineligible to be relieved of his duty. Oscar winner George Clooney serves as an executive producer of the six-episode series, which is based on the 1961 novel by Joseph Heller.
Season Finales
Young Sheldon (CBS)
It’s 1989 and 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper has skipped four grades to start high school along with his less-intellectual older brother. As he struggles to be understood by his family, classmates and neighbours, his mother arms him with the best tool she can come up with: reminding bullies his dad is the football coach and his brother is on the team. His twin sister doesn’t share his exceptional mind, but she has a much clearer vision of what life has in store for the young genius. Jim Parsons, who plays the adult version of Sheldon on “The Big Bang Theory,” narrates.
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
The medical drama series focuses on a group of young doctors at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, who began their careers at the facility as interns. One of the young doctors and the show’s namesake, Meredith Grey, is the daughter of a famous surgeon. Grey struggles to maintain relationships with her colleagues, particularly the hospital’s one-time chief of surgery, Richard Webber, due to a pre-existing relationship between them – Webber and Meredith’s mother had a personal relationship when Meredith was young.
Better Things (FX)
`Better Things’ is the story of Sam Fox, a single mother and working actor with no filter trying to raise her three daughters — Max, Frankie, and Duke — in Los Angeles. She also looks out for her mother, Phil, an English ex-patriate with questionable faculties who lives across the street. Whether she’s struggling to keep her daughters close or trying to push one of them out of the nest, Sam approaches every challenge with fierce love, raw honesty, and humour. At the end of the day, Sam’s just trying to earn a living, navigate her daughters’ changing lives, survive her family, have fun with a friend or two, and also — just maybe — squeeze in some private time.
Barry (HBO)
Disillusioned at the thought of taking down another “mark,” depressed, low-level hit man Barry Berkman seeks a way out. When the Midwesterner reluctantly travels to Los Angeles to execute a hit on an actor who is bedding a mobster’s wife, little does Barry know that the City of Angels may be his sanctuary. He follows his target into acting class and ends up instantly drawn to the community of eager hopefuls, especially dedicated student Sally, who becomes the object of his affection. While Barry wants to start a new life as an actor, his handler, Fuches, has other ideas, and the hit man’s criminal past won’t let him walk away so easily.
The Blacklist (NBC)
For decades, ex-government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington has been one of the globe’s most wanted fugitives. But then he agreed to work with the FBI to catch his “blacklist” of mobsters, spies and international terrorists — on the condition that he must work with profiler Elizabeth Keen. Red’s true intentions — choosing Liz, a woman with whom he seemingly has no connection — are unclear. Does Liz have secrets of her own? Red promises to teach Liz to think like a criminal “to see the bigger picture,” whether she wants to or not.
black-ish (ABC)
Dre Johnson (Anthony Anderson) has it all – a great job, beautiful wife Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), four kids and a big home in a classy neighbourhood – but as a black man, he begins to question whether all his success has brought too much cultural assimilation for his family. With the help of his father (special guest star Laurence Fishburne), Dre begins to try to create a sense of ethnic identity for the members of his family that will allow them to honour their background while preparing them to embrace the future.
The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
The CBS All Access series picks up one year after the events in the final episode of “The Good Wife.” After a financial scam destroys the reputation of young lawyer Maia Rindell and wipes out her mentor and godmother Diane Lockhart’s savings, the two are forced out of Lockhart & Lee and join forces with Lucca Quinn at one of Chicago’s pre-eminent law firms. At Reddick, Boseman & Kolstad, Diane finds familiar faces, including Colin Morrello, who is a rising star in the state’s attorney’s office, and Marissa Gold. Though starting at the bottom, Diane and Maia are determined to rebuild their careers and lives at the new firm.