The Survivors is an Australian Netflix limited series adapted by Tony Ayres from Jane Harper's 2020 novel, a moody mystery from the author of The Dry. Set in the fictional Tasmanian coastal town of Evelyn Bay, the six-part drama moves between past and present to unpack how a single catastrophic day continues to shape a small community fifteen years later.
Charlie Vickers stars as Kieran Elliott, who returns home with his young family carrying guilt over a long-ago storm that killed three people, including his brother. When the body of a young woman is discovered on the beach soon after his arrival, old suspicions and buried secrets come roaring back, and the town's fragile peace begins to fracture. Yerin Ha plays Kieran's partner Mia, with Robyn Malcolm and Damien Garvey among the ensemble.
Premiering in June 2025, The Survivors became a major hit for Netflix, reaching the number-two spot on the platform's global chart in its first week and earning a perfect critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. Atmospheric and grief-soaked, it confirmed Jane Harper's crime fiction as fertile ground for prestige television. It streams on Netflix.
Take a pair of long time friends who've become attorneys then put them to work in a stuffy law firm, and you have a new hit television series called Franklin & Bash. Breckin Meyer (Garfield: The Movie & Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) is Jared Franklin, overly self confident son of a well known trial lawyer who still loves to party, even while on the job. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (John from Cincinnati, Raising the Bar) plays Peter Bash who has been a close friend of Jared's for years and is much more mature than his zany pal "crash" a law firm by use of some rather unconventional techniques that amaze senior partner Stanton Infeld (Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) enough that he hires them to work in the firm. Once they move to the new prestigious firm even get their own enormous partners office. Franklin & Bash realize they've hit the jackpot with their new jobs and won't let their stuffed shirt new bosses tell them how to practice law. All is not well, of course, and they learn that compromise is important to succeed in their line of work and still have fun doing their jobs.
Based in Alameda California, MythBusters takes us through many experiments and trials to prove or disprove rumors long established to be truths. Among the programs and story ideas shown so far are adages, movie scenes, myths, news stories, and even some internet videos that are taken apart bit by bit and through scientific methods, either found to be valid or fakes. Whenever possible experiments will test how events happened or equipment is made to work or even made from "scratch" when needed. Experts in the art of special effects including Adam Savage (movie animator and designer) and Jamie Hyneman (beret wearing with a walrus style mustache) argue with each other as they work out how to demonstrate just how their experiments work (or don't work). While most of their scientific work is done in California some time is spent in production in Artarmon, Australia and out on location. Special effects are amazing to watch and make interesting viewing while they disprove things we have long believed in.
Councilwoman Melissa Burke known as "Mel" used to be quite the party girl and rebelled against society before growing up and getting serious about her community. Now a dedicated councilwoman, Melissa (played by Melissa Joan Hart from Sabrina the Teenage Witch & My Fake Fiancee) finds she must provide a home for her nephew and niece (her sister's children). Seems that their mom is in jail for money laundering while their dad is on the run after being accused of running a Ponzi scheme. Melissa soon discovers she needs help with her new instant family and hires a babysitter to help out. Joey Lawrence (My Fake Fiancee & Gimme a Break!) plays Joe Longo, a commodities trader, is currently out of work due to the same Ponzi scheme and hires on as the new nanny or "manny". Taking on two youngsters, Ryder and Lennox, is no easy task as both Joe and Mel soon find out. This heart warming family sit-com is full of hope and day to day situations that mirror real life.
When Chloe King turns sixteen she discovers she is descended from an ancient race, the Mai. She soon learns of her new found cat like powers which include super human speed, night vision, super hearing, agility, retractable claws, and that she now has nine lives just like a cat. Upon discovering that someone is following her, Chloe also learns she is the descendant of an ancient race called the Mai and just might be responsible for protecting her race from the human assassins which have been on the prowl for them during the past thousands of years. Skyler Samuels (Wizards of Waverly Place) is Chloe King, who had quite a sweet sixteen birthday present. Amy Pietz (Caroline in the City) plays her mother, Meredith King. A single mom, Skyler raised Chloe by herself although she is from the Ukraine and was brought to the U.S. by a man who adopted Chloe and may also know about her and the super powers she has gained. Now Chloe has a heavy responsibility if she is to save the world, including both humans and the Mai race.
Wonderfully illustrated and written by Noriaki Kubo, Bleach is a tale that follows Ichigo Kurosaki in a series of adventurous travels once he has gotten the powers of a "Death God" that is similar to the Grim Reaper. With his new powers Kurosaki now defends humans against evil spirits while guiding their souls to their afterlife. This immensely popular television series is an anthology format that also started a valuable media franchise that includes seven rock musicals, many video games, four animated movies or feature films, as well as a couple of original video animation features. Among the most popular media from the Bleach series is their line of merchandise such as t-shirts, novels, and trading cards. Ichigo Kurosaki, a gifted teenager who has the ability to actually see spirits, comes up with a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki. Kuchiki is hunting for a Hollow or lost dangerous soul that must be defeated. Ichigo must help Rukia out and battle the evil Hollows while Rukia is left behind and stranded in the world of humans, sapping her of her strengths. Rukia may be punished for transferring her powers to another, namely to Ichigo Kurosaki.
It all begins when thirteen individual teams consisting of three competitors each race across the deserts and mountains and even through the rivers in Morocco, each with the hope of winning a new Ford Explorer plus $50,000 in U.S. dollars. Mark Burnett of Survivor fame is the producer and a wildlife expert named Dave Salmoni hosts each episode as they go through stages with checkpoints to be reached first. Some of these checkpoints include a challenge that needs to be finished before the teams can move on to the next. The last team to reach the last checkpoint loses and must leave the show. Also if any member on a team decides to give up or quit, the team is eliminated. Trekking through the hot Sahara Desert then over Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa is no easy feat, especially when there so many other dedicated competitors involved. They must show their ability to ride horses, read compasses, rappel the mountains, and right a capsized boat capably and forge on to win the race.
Wilfred is a dog. Wilfred is a man in a dog suit. Either or both may be true but one thing for certain is the story idea and the concept just seems to work for this dark comedy. The Aussie actor Jason Gann (Rats and Cats, Kenny) is Wilfred the eponymous dog whose owner Sarah (played by Cindy Waddingham from I Love You Too and Lowdown) along with her boyfriend Adam (award winner Adam Zwar from Lowdown, The Wedding Party), who looks at Wilfred and sees him as a man who just happens to wear a dog suit. The idea came from an original and award winning short film written by Jason Gann and Adam Zwar. A very popular and AFI award winning television program in Australia which aired there in 2007 and again in 2010, Wilfred is now airing in the U.S. Editor Debbie Lee told them "Go as far as you want with it, the more bent the better" and so they did. This TV program based upon a short film has its silly moments but overall is funny and entertaining due to good acting and writing from its young stars.
Cooking shows are hot on television now days, creating serious competition among the celebrity cooks as well as prospective winners in various formats on TV. MasterChef features the likes of Gordon Ramsay (Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares) along side Joe Bastianich (restaurateur/vineyard owner), and Graham Elliot (chef/restaurant owner) as judges who oversee the contestants who come from a wide assortment of occupations including housewives, doctors, lawyers, private chefs, realtors, and travel writers. From what appears to be a huge crowd in the initial tryouts they whittle the prospects down to 100, then down to 38 or so and put them all to the test. With each contestant offering their "signature" dish to the judges, the competition begins and so does elimination, one by one. It is amazingly difficult to please all three judges as they are diverse in their likes and taste preferences, and the pressure is on to perform and show they have a talent for cooking. The coveted crown of MasterChef will be given to whomever can best please the judges and keep their head about them in the heat of the kitchen.
Lifetime television has found themselves a hit show with Drop Dead Diva. Brooke Elliott (Broadway musicals Wicked, The Pirate Queen) is Debbie Dobkins a shallow gal who was deemed to be a "zero" when she died in a car accident and then entered Heaven. Apparently she had done nothing worthwhile, either good or bad while on Earth. Hating her useless life she wants to return and do something of value. Pressing the key on a computer keyboard she is transported back to life but with what some may consider handicaps. She is now overweight Jane Bingum, a brilliant and hard working lawyer. Aghast with her appearance initially, Debbie learns to appreciate inner beauty and, through her inherited body, goes after the retribution she needs. Interesting twist on a semi-reality show where we find the heroine is scorned because of her appearance but learns more about how to treat people than she ever could in her previous life. Might be nice if we could each have a second chance in life. Margaret Cho (The Cho Show, Ghost Whisperer) is Teri Lee, Debbie's assistant and friend.
As is typical on American reality TV shows the competition is strong and celebrities find they are pretty average when it comes to competing, especially skating on ice! Ice skating is one of those sports that should be learned while young so the falling down isn't quite so painful. Stars on this show included Sean Young (Haunted Echoes, Harvest Moon) who was first to be eliminated, Bethenny Frankel (The Apprentice: Martha Stewart), Vince Neil (rock group Mötley Crüe), actor and rapper Brandon Mychal Smith, Jonny Moseley (Olympic Gold medal skier), and Rebecca Budig (Batman Forever) who was the winner. Each celebrity was paired with a professional skater who gave their celeb pointers and guided them to perform on the ice. Judges awarded points as well as the viewing audience so the combined scores determined who was the most successful pair each week. Vernon Kay hosted and judges were Dick Button, Johnny Weir, and Laurie Ann Gibson. Additionally they had a "color commentary" each episode by Tanith Belbin who is a retired Ice Dancer.
