Saturday, Sunday, Nov. 2-3, 2019
SATURDAY TV:
COLLEGE FOOTBALL (7:30p ET, ABC) — No. 8 Notre Dame (5-1) visits No. 19 Michigan (5-2).
MERRY & BRIGHT (8p ET, Hallmark Channel) — Jodie Sweetin and Andrew Walker star in this new holiday film. With Sharon Lawrence.
CHRISTMAS RESERVATIONS (8p ET, Lifetime) — Melissa Joan Hart stars in this holiday romance, with Markie Post and Michael Gross.
SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET (9p ET, BBC America) — This new special, hosted by Sir David Attenborough, offers a preview of an upcoming nature series.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (11:30p ET, NBC) — New. Kristen Stewart hosts with musical guest Coldplay.
SUNDAY TV:
KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS (8p ET, ABC) — New.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (8p ET, NBC) — New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
GOD FRIENDED ME (8:30p ET, CBS) — New. The God Account sends Miles the name of a social worker who began training in mixed martial arts to help heal the emotional wounds of a traumatic experience.
BATWOMAN (8p ET, CW) — New
SHARK TANK (9p ET, ABC) — New. Products include a household gardening tool, a food product line featuring a low-carb nut, and immune support packs designed to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.
NCIS: LOS ANGELES (9:30p ET, CBS) — New. The NCIS team reluctantly aligns with two former criminals from England.
SUPERGIRL (9p ET, CW) — New
THE WALKING DEAD (9p ET, AMC) — New.
SEASON PREMIERE KIDDING (10p ET, Showtime) — At the end of season 1, Jeff Pickles (Jim Carrey) finally showed the world there’s a real human being who lives behind the mask of an always cheery kids’-show host, but will it be bad for business? Season 2 shows Jeff coming to terms with people not always liking him and will also provide a deep dive into his love story with estranged wife Jill (Judy Greer).
THE ROOKIE (10p ET, ABC) — New. An emergency alert of an impending missile attack sends Los Angeles into chaos and uncertainty.
MADAM SECRETARY (10:30p ET, CBS) — New. Daisy is implicated in the leak of hacked information.
Showbiz News and Gossip
IN THEATERS
Terminator: Dark Fate is expected to bring in $40 million to $47 million.
Terminator: Dark Fate (R);
Arctic Dogs (PG);
Harriet (PG-13);
Motherless Brooklyn (R)
WORLD SERIES GAME 7 DRAWS 23 MILLION VIEWERS
The Washington Nationals’ first-ever World Series title delivered a big TV audience Wednesday night. Game seven of the series, a 6-2 Nationals win over the Houston Astros, drew just over 23 million viewers. It’s the biggest audience for a baseball game in two years, since the last time the World Series went to a seventh game in 2017.
SESAME STREET TURNS 50
November is Sesame Street’s birthday month. The award-winning children’s program debuted November 10, 1969.
WHO IS AMERICA’S FAVORITE SESAME STREET CHARACTER?
Cookie Monster – 16%
- Elmo – 13%
- Big Bird 11%
- Oscar the Grouch 9%
- Grover 5%
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PITS MAN VS. BEAR IN NEW COMPETITION SERIES
Humans are taking on grizzly bears in a new Discovery Channel show. The network has given the OK to Man vs. Bear, a new competition series in which “humans will be entering the bear’s territory and take them on in a competition like never attempted.”
… Each week three grizzlies — Bart, Honey Bump, and Tank — will take on three new human competitors (male and female) at their Utah sanctuary to test the limits of strength, speed and stamina. All of the challenges will be based on the bears’ natural instincts as well as predatory skills and actions. Challenges will include a game of tug of war, to using brute force to roll giant logs.
… Man vs. Bear debuts on Discovery December 4.
YOU CAN WATCH 8 THANKSGIVING-THEMED FRIENDS EPISODES IN THEATERS
Thanksgiving may be weeks away, but it’s never too early to start planning your Friendsgiving. In honor of Friends’ 25th anniversary, Fathom Events will be playing eight Thanksgiving-themed episodes in theaters for two days the week of the holiday. The fun begins on November 24, with screenings of four episodes in theaters around the United States beginning at 7 PM. The remaining four will pick up the following day on November 25 with screenings at 4 PM. and 7 PM. Fans can purchase tickets at FathomEvents.com beginning November 1
NEW DISNEY+ SHOW PUTS REAL-LIFE PIXAR CHARACTERS IN EVERYDAY SITUATIONS _ A clever new show that will air on Disney+ on November 12 putting real-life versions of Pixar characters in everyday situations. The streaming service launches November 12 for $12.99 a month. • TRAILER
LORD OF THE RINGS AUTHOR’S ENGLAND HOME IS FOR SALE _ Here’s some cool news for all Lord of the Rings fans: J.R.R. Tolkien’s England home is up for sale for $6 million. This is the home where the author wrote his infamous books, including The Hobbit and parts of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. A little over 50 miles from London, Tolkien’s Oxford home has been left in almost the same exact condition as it was in when it was first built in the early 1920s. Tolkien lived there between 1930 and 1947. The two-story family home is extremely spacious, featuring high ceilings, two reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, a walk-in pantry, six bedrooms, and more.
… Overall, the house measures in around 4,000 square feet.
CANCELED STAR WARS TRILOGY WAS GOING TO EXPLORE THE ORIGINS OF THE JEDI _ In the aftermath of the now-canceled David Benioff and D.B. Weiss Star Wars trilogy, everyone can’t help but wonder both about what happened, and what the films were going to focus on. A new report says the trilogy was going to focus on the origins of the Jedi.
… The Game of Thrones duo apparently clashed with Lucasfilm, and things grew even more tricky when Benioff and Weiss landed a huge $250 million production deal with Netflix.
KEVIN HART BREAKS SILENCE AFTER CAR CRASH _ Kevin Hart is speaking out about his serious car accident and how it has changed his outlook on life. In his first public comments since the September 1 crash, in which the comedian suffered major back injuries that required surgery, he posted an emotional video on Instagram this week documenting his recovery.
… In the video Hart says, “When God talks, you gotta listen … I see life from a whole new perspective. My appreciation for life is through the roof.”
HOLIDAY MOVIES PREVIEW
Some of the best films come out in November and December. Here’s a look at the biggest releases.
- Terminator: Dark Fate (November 1)
- Stars: Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor and Natalia Reyes as Dani Ramos.
- Plot Summary: Sarah Connor joins forces with a soldier from the future to protect a young woman who’s being hunted by a time-traveling Terminator.
- Doctor Sleep (November 8)
- Stars: Ewan McGregor
- Plot Summary: 40 years after his terrifying stay at the Overlook Hotel, Dan Torrance helps a teenager who’s targeted by a dangerous cult for her own “shining” abilities.
- Last Christmas (November 8)
- Stars: Emilia Clarke
- Plot Summary: Kate is a young woman with a habit of making poor life decisions when she meets Tom, a charming fellow who seems too good to be real.
- Charlie’s Angels (November 15)
- Stars: Naomi Scott, Kristen Stewart, Ella Balinska, and Elizabeth Banks
- Plot Summary: After blowing the whistle on dangerous technology, a systems engineer is recruited by the Townsend Agency (which now operates worldwide).
- Ford v Ferrari (November 15)
- Stars: Christian Bale and Matt Damon
- Plot Summary: Automative designer Carroll Shelby and his driver, Ken Miles, try to build a racing car for Ford that can finally defeat the Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
- A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- Stars: Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys
- Plot Summary: Journalist Lloyd Vogel begrudgingly agrees to write a profile piece about Fred Rogers, only to find his perspective on life transformed.
- Frozen II (November 22)
- Elsa!
- Plot Summary: Elsa, together with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven, sets out on a dangerous journey to protect her kingdom and discover why she was born with magical powers.
- Knives Out (November 27)
- Stars: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis Christopher Plummer and Don Johnson in Knives Out
- Plot Summary: When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey inexplicably dies just after his 85th birthday, Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate.
- Jumanji: The Next Level (December 13)
- Stars: Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart
- Plot Summary: When Spencer vanishes into the world of Jumanji, his friends follow him and discover the game’s changed since last they played.
- Cats (December 20)
- Stars: Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson
- Plot Summary: Members of the Jellicle cat tribe try to decide one night which of them will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life.
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (December 20)
- Stars: Daisy Ridley, etc.
- Plot Summary: The Skywalker Saga draws to a close as Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron fight back against Kylo Ren and the forces of the First Order.
- Little Women (December 25)
- Stars: Florence Pugh, Saorise Ronan, Emma Watson
- Plot Summary: Sisters Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March come of age and strive to live life on their own terms in post-Civil War 1860s New England.
SO MANY STREAMING SERVICES
Apple’s new streaming service launches now- — the first of many from some pretty big players over the next eight months. With 151 million subscribers, Netflix is the streaming king — for now.
• November 1 – Apple TV+ is Apple’s new streaming service, which plans to focus on original series and films. The price will be a hard-to-pass-up $5 a month.
• November 12 – Disney+ has so much content. Disney, Star Wars, Marvel,Pixar and more. Disney owns most of Hulu, which will be included. It will launch with lots of old favorites, lots of news stuff, and… 30 seasons of The Simpsons. It’s $7 without Hulu and ESPN+, $13 with those services.
• April – Peacock is NBC’s long-awaited new streaming service. It will contain NBCUniversal TV shows, movies, and originals, combining properties from NBC, USA Network, Universal Pictures, Dreamworks, Telemundo, and more. No price yet but Peacock says it will launch with 15,000 hours of content.
• May – HBO Max is WarnerMedia’s upcoming service, focusing on the deep catalog from HBO, Warner Bros., and The CW. HBO Max will cost $15 a month and will launch with lots of old favorites + 50 original programs. Fans of Friends and the Big Bang Theory will want HBO Max.
JEFFREY WRIGHT IS COMMISSIONER GORDON IN THE BATMAN
Westworld star Jeffrey Wright will play Commissioner James Gordon in The Batman. Robert Pattinson will play Bruce Wayne/Batman. Zoe Kravitz will also star in the film as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Paul Dano has been cast as the Riddler. The Batman will hit theaters on June 25, 2021.
ERIN BROCKOVICH TV SERIES IN THE WORKS AT ABC
Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff is teaming up with the real-life Erin Brockovich to bring her story to ABC. Rebel will follow Brockovich over the years since Julia Roberts played her in the 2000 feature film Erin Brockovich that shot her to fame.
THE FINAL TRAILER FOR JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL
The latest and final trailer for Jumanji: The Next Level was released Thursday. The film will be in theaters on December 13.
IAN ZIERING AND WIFE HAVE SPLIT
Ian Ziering and his wife Erin Kristine Ludwig have called it quits after nine years of marriage.
FINAL TRAILER FOR NETFLIX’S THE WITCHER
Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher, based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s cult novels, will be available to stream on December 20, according to a new trailer shared by the streaming giant. Henry Cavill leads the cast as sword-wielding Geralt of Rivia.
BIRTHDAYS
• Music producer David Foster is 70
• Toni Collette is 47
• Jenny McCarthy is 47