Boots is a Netflix comedy-drama series created by Andy Parker, adapted from Greg Cope White's memoir The Pink Marine. Set in 1990, it follows a directionless young man who impulsively joins the United States Marine Corps alongside his best friend and must survive the brutal crucible of boot camp while carrying a secret about who he is. Executive produced by the legendary Norman Lear in one of his final projects, it balances raw military rigor with warmth and humor.
Miles Heizer stars as Cameron Cope, an aimless teenager with no obvious prospects who signs up largely on a whim and finds himself utterly unprepared for the punishing world of Marine training. Vera Farmiga plays his loving but overbearing mother, and Max Parker, Liam Oh, and Angus O'Brien fill out the ensemble of recruits and drill instructors who become Cameron's unlikely found family. The series mines both comedy and genuine drama from the pressure cooker of basic training and the secrets its recruits carry.
Critics responded enthusiastically, and the show earned a strong 92% Rotten Tomatoes score along with a top-ten streaming run, praised for its heart, its period specificity, and Heizer's grounded lead performance. Though Netflix ultimately did not renew it beyond its first season, Boots was widely embraced as a standout dramedy. It streams on Netflix.
The four "professional buyers" in this reality based program offer up plenty of laughs as well as some serious buyers envy when they find treasure troves of merchandise in repossessed storage lockers. Of course they also get "stung" a certain amount of the time because it's not a perfect world after all. Whether they bid on lockers containing an extremely valuable collection of comic books, old collectible cars, or junk jewelry it is just by chance that they luck out and find a treasure among the trash left behind by those who failed to pay their storage locker fees. The main buyers on this show, along with some intrepid newcomers to the bidding process, take their chances because they cannot enter the locker or open any boxes inside. Dan Dotson, real time auctioneer, offers up some intriguing lots each week and the "pro buyers" who follow him around include Darrell Sheets, Barry Weiss, Dave Hester, and Jarrod Schulz (the youngest collector). Each episode depicts the challenging world faced by collectors and also shows how so much of someone's life can be left behind in storage.
As a popular spin-off to the Bad Girls Club and Bad Girls Road Trip shows, we now find Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too to be a game show with a reality based, fun and sexy, fashionable dating game format. This time we see three truly lovely ladies vie for the "man of their dreams" as they work their way through 13 eligible and handsome young bachelors. Alumni of the Bad Girls Club are ready to face challenges which include group dates as they narrow down the list of competition. They temporarily reside in what is a former "Bad Girl" house and the competition is for "HBIC" each week. Described as outrageous, energetic, and flirty the girls are seeking true love while a television viewing audience has the opportunity to see who is successful and how they "get their man" . It's all for fun yet the competition can be stiff and the girls truly bad when they wish to be.
Comedy seems to be the winning factor on late night television and among the best to be found since Carson is the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon program. The program even originates from the same NBC studio that The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was broadcast since 1982 until that show moved to California. Fallon offers a broad sense of humor that connects with his large audience including shows and skits like Pros and Cons, Wheel of Carpet Samples, Let Us Play with Your Look, Cell Phone Shootout, Hot Dog in a Hole, or Remix and Clips. In between the hilarious sketches guests come and go, often becoming part of the action or the brunt of some rather low brow activities. All is played for fun and audiences eat it up and often even get to join in on the fun. Among the celebrity guests have been Van Morrison, Robert De Niro, and Justin Timberlake. The previous host of Late Night, Conan O'Brien has appeared on Fallon's reincarnation of the show that keeps on giving to late night fans.
It has become THE place to be seen and one of the most exciting shows on late-late night television today. Jimmy Kimmel left "The Man Show" back in January of 2003 to host his own talk show on late night TV and has since acquired a large following which includes an audience filled with eager to learn about celebrity lives folks as well as show biz big names that seem to be more than happy to divulge their inner most secrets. Kimmel began his career on Comedy Central where his quirky sense of humor made him popular working with Ben Stein. This led Jimmy to The Man Show where his popularity grew. Now with his own late night talk show he pretty much rules the roost (so to speak) as far as late night viewer are concerned. His latest ritual seems to be hosting the most recent loser from "Dancing With The Stars" on Tuesday nights. He then burns their shoes symbolically. There's a long running joke going with the talented actor Matt Damon where he invites him on but then, at the last minute, states he's run out of time on the show. Damon plots ways to get even with Kimmel and audiences are left to wonder if it's a joke or not.
It is the year 2149 and all life on Earth is about to end! That is the premise of a new science fiction show developed for television with the title of Terra Nova. It seems that, in efforts to save our planet and all human beings inhabiting it scientists must develop a travel portal which allows earthlings to travel some 85 million years backwards in time. This means we must go back to prehistoric times on our planet and find there are large groups of carnivorous and huge dinosaurs roaming about hoping to make us their next meal. Jim Shannon and his wife Elisabeth along with their three children Maddy, Zoe, and Josh are among the 10th "pilgrimage" of settlers who travel to Terra Nova which as become the first human colony set up on the other side of that temporal doorway. And then they discover their neighbors happen to be those nasty dinosaurs. Jason O'Mara (Life on Mars, Marlowe) stars as Jim Shannon and his trauma surgeon wife Elisabeth is portrayed by Shelley Conn (Marchlands, Trial and Retribution). They and their three children are part of a group of new pioneers on planet Earth.
Former Daily Show with Jon Stewart correspondent Stephen Colbert is a political humorist and that means he has a license to poke fun at politicians and just about anybody else that gets in his creative path. It's a stretch but Stephen Colbert plays fictional anchorman Stephen Colbert, or in other words, he portrays himself in a spoof and political pundit filled show that has earned a slew of award nominations. If it's a serious news event you can bet it will show up on the Colbert Report, often with a unique twist. Some stories don't need to be embellished upon because they play out humorous no matter what and that's life. Some times the show has cultural influence as in the case of a bridge being named after Colbert by the Hungarian Ambassador, who presented Colbert with a declaration certificate when a vote declared him the winner. As it turned out Hungary does not name their bridges after living people so it never happened but he did win the vote. It just goes to prove how powerful having a television show with your own name on it can be in the U.S.
When the powers that be at NBC yanked the Tonight Show out from under long time host Jay Leno on May 29, 2009 it was considered to be a huge mistake and that fact soon became evident to everyone involved, particularly his loyal viewing audience. Conan O'Brien is talented and deserves his own show but there is no one quite like Leno except for perhaps Johnny Carson. Carson made the Tonight Show a national institution of late night television. Carson also wanted David Letterman to succeed him as host, even though he had called on Leno to guest host multiple times over the years. But when it came time to pass the gauntlet it went to stand up comedian Jay Leno. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was reincarnated on March 1, 2010 and as they say, the rest is history. With a home base in Burbank, California the Tonight Show has access to virtually all of the showbiz elite as well as entertainment's movers and shakers so viewers can be assured of seeing their favorite stars and keeping up with most all the latest gossip and newsworthy events as they happen. Leno himself, through his opening dialogue will refresh our memory and keep us informed regarding what was said by or about the likes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, or even Donald Trump. And who could ask for more?
The fact that some time travel is involved in the show, Being Erica, makes it necessary to employ at least one other actress to play the part of Erica Strange. She is sometimes seen as a twelve year old girl and that would be difficult for actress Erin Karpluk to accomplish. Erica is thirty two, Jewish, and still single. Although well educated she appears to be an underachiever who is in therapy and has been for years. Erica's therapist, Dr. Tom Wexlar (portrayed by Michael Riley) works with her though often irritating her with mixed quotations that don't really help her. Erica's friends include Julianne (played by Reagan Pasternak) editor at the publishing company where Erica is most currently employed. The two eventually form a publishing company as co-owners and partners. Forth grade teacher and best friend, Ethan Wakefield, (played by Tyron Leitso) have been close since college. When he moves next door to Erica they become more than just best friends, resulting in his divorce, and complicating the friendship. Gary Strange (John Boylan) is Erica's father, now a rabbi, but formerly a marijuana using hippie. Mom Barbara (Kathleen Laskey) who adds depth and a serious note to the program when she develops breast cancer.
Albuquerque, New Mexico is the evidently a popular place for those who have had need to join the witness protection program (WITSEC) provided for those who have helped the U.S. Government convict criminals. Those who are brought to justice vow revenge and will often go to great lengths to "get even" . Although this is just an entertaining dramatic television show, it is based on actual occurrences. Mary Shannon (played by Mary McCormack from Law & Order: Criminal Intent and West Wing) is a member of the U.S. Marshals and along with her partner Marshal Marshall Mann (Fredrick Weller also from Law & Order: Criminal Intent) work with newly installed witnesses. Many of the newly secreted participants don't want to leave their former lifestyle but the alternative may be fatal. Each episode we find the Marshals must deal with a wide assortment of problems both on the job and in their private lives. Mary has an interesting family that includes a wacky mother Jinx Shannon (Lesley Ann Warren of Desperate Housewives, Will & Grace) and outlandish younger sister Brandi, played by Nichole Hiltz (Bones, Smallville) both of whom live with Mary as they sort out their own complicated lives.
The lives of Camelot, Guinevere, and King Arthur has been a popular subject for story telling for a long time now and it may be time for a reality check. The true story of Camelot and the lives and times affected by swords, magic, sex, betrayal, and the absolute monarchy of the times is played out on Starz television's Camelot. This time the story is told from a youthful perspective as Jamie Campbell Bower is a young and intrepid Arthur who is on his way to the throne. King Arthur himself is a complicated and complex character who came from humble beginnings to reach the seat of power. His lady Guinevere is the one bright and shining light in his life and the challenges faced by the man who would be King of England include moral issues, deception, and wars that never seem to end. The concept has long been put to film or play with many varying opinions on what kind of man Arthur actually was. The cast of characters, including Lancelot, Lady Guinevere, and Morgan, his overly ambitious half-sister make for intriguing viewing and this time around it seems more true to the facts than previous ventures.
