Brett Goldstein Faces Life After ‘Ted Lasso’ – The New York Times

9 MIN READ

“LONDON — A few minutes into coffee last spring, Brett Goldstein wanted to show me something on his phone.

I leaned over and saw puppeteers sitting on skateboards while they hid behind a table, rolling into one another in apparent bliss as their hands animated a clowder of felt cats above their heads. For Goldstein this represented a kind of creative ideal, as pure an expression of fun, craft and unbridled glee as any human is likely to encounter.

“Imagine this is your actual job,” he said, his breathtaking eyebrows raised in wonder.

Goldstein shot this behind-the-scenes video during his time as a guest star on “Sesame Street,” an experience this Emmy-winning, Marvel-starring comic actor and writer still describes as the single best day of his life.

The clip is inarguably delightful, but Goldstein hardly has to imagine such a job. As the breakout star of “Ted Lasso,” the hit comedy about a tormented but terminally sunny American coach winning hearts, minds and the occasional football match in England, he is part of an ensemble that brought as much bonhomie, optimism and warmth to the set as Ted himself, played by the show’s mastermind, Jason Sudeikis, brought to the screen.”

‘The Crown’ Could Have Damaged Charles. Becoming King Has Helped. – The New York Times

Mark Landler is the London bureau chief of The New York Times.

“LONDON — Six months ago, the new season of “The Crown” was shaping up as another public-relations headache for Prince Charles. The timeline of the popular historical drama had reached the 1990s, which meant that it was going to dissect the collapse of his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales, an unwelcome exhumation of the most painful, mortifying chapter of his adult life.

Some advising the prince were pondering how to counter the narrative, according to people with knowledge of the workings of Buckingham Palace, worried that it could tarnish the reputation of a man who, in recent years, had come to be known less for his peccadilloes than for his embrace of worthy causes such as climate change.”

OAN, a Dependable Trump Promoter, Faces a ‘Death Blow’ – The New York Times

“The future of One America News, which established itself as a powerful voice in conservative media by promoting some of the most outlandish falsehoods about the 2020 election, is in serious doubt as major carriers drop it from their lineups and defamation lawsuits threaten to drain its finances.

By the end of this week, the cable network will have lost its presence in some 20 million homes this year. The most recent blow came from Verizon, which will stop carrying OAN on its Fios television service starting Saturday. That will starve the network of a major stream of revenue: the fees it collects from Verizon, which counts roughly 3.5 million cable subscribers. In April, OAN was dropped by AT&T’s DirecTV, which has about 15 million subscribers.”

14 Charming British Mystery Series for Your Binge-Watching Pleasure

“Constable Hamish Macbeth keeps watch over the fictional Scottish town of Lochdubh in this comedic mystery show. Based loosely on the works of mystery writer M. C. BeatonHamish Macbeth aired on BBC1 from 1995 to 1997, and starred Robert Carlyle as the titular character. You may know Carlyle from his role as Begbie in Trainspotting, although his delivery is far more subdued in his role here. Fight crime right along with him by streaming all three seasons of the show on Amazon Prime. ”

Source: 14 Charming British Mystery Series for Your Binge-Watching Pleasure

WETA to take control of ‘NewsHour Weekend’ with Geoff Bennett as host | Current

“Geoff Bennett will join PBS NewsHour as chief Washington correspondent and host of PBS NewsHour Weekend next year when production of the weekend program moves to WETA in Washington, D.C.

Bennett

Bennett, who will join the organization Jan. 3, will anchor PBS NewsHour Weekend beginning in April. Production of the show will move from the WNET Group in New York City to WETA, which already produces the weeknight NewsHour anchored by managing editor Judy Woodruff. NewsHour Weekend, which launched in 2013, is a co-production of the Creative News Group and NewsHour Productions in association with WNET and WETA.

“This decision was made by PBS,” a WNET spokesperson said in a statement to Current. “We hope and expect the program will have continued success under the management of NewsHour Productions at WETA.”

“The move to WETA will dedicate more resources to NewsHour Productions and bring our national nightly news operation under one roof,” said a PBS spokesperson in a statement.”

Source: WETA to take control of ‘NewsHour Weekend’ with Geoff Bennett as host | Current

The best show about international relations on television right now is on — wait for it — Syfy. – The Washington Post

Daniel Drezner, Tufts University, Fletcher School of International Relations.

“. . .There is one political show I have enjoyed recently, however. It’s about international relations. Well, sort of. It’s more about interplanetary relations. It’s Syfy’s “The Expanse”:

The basic set-up of “The Expanse” is that it takes place 200 years from now in a world in which interplanetary travel is pretty easy. Mankind has colonized Earth’s moon, Mars, the asteroid belt and some of the outer moons, such as Ganymede. Earth is run by the United Nations. It controls the moon and a large, albeit aging, fleet. It is still the most powerful actor in the solar system, but appears to be on the decline. Mars is independent, with newer spaceships, a very cohesive culture, and an ambitious plan to terraform its own planet.  Both Earth and Mars view the residents living beyond Mars’ orbit — the “Belters” — as close to subhuman. The Belters work in the extractive sectors to send resources back to Earth and Mars. There is a loose-knit politico-military group, the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), trying to organize this fractious population. And then events are set in motion.

“The Expanse” pulls off a few world-building gambits that make it pretty nifty to watch. It’s not as funny as “Firefly,” but like that show, it successfully resets the domain of politics from a planet to a solar system but no further. Also like “Firefly,” the space of “The Expanse” feels genuinely lived-in. The economics and identities that are guide the actors are well-structured.”

Currently, you can only stream The Expanse (for free) on Amazon Prime Video.Dec 22, 2020

Source: The best show about international relations on television right now is on — wait for it — Syfy. – The Washington Post

The 50 Best TV Shows on Netflix Right Now – The New York Times

By 

“Netflix adds original programming at such a steady clip that it can be hard to keep up with which of its dramas, comedies and reality shows are must-sees. And that’s not including all the TV series Netflix picks up from broadcast and cable networks. Below is our regularly updated guide to the 50 best shows on Netflix in the United States. Each recommendation comes with a secondary pick, too, for 100 suggestions in all. (Note: Netflix sometimes removes titles without notice.)

We also have lists of the best movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, along with the best TV and movies on Hulu and Disney+.”

How to Cut the Cord and Stream TV – Watching Guides – The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/guides/watching/tv-streaming-cut-the-cord?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Moth-Visible&moduleDetail=inside-nyt-region-3&module=inside-nyt-region&region=inside-nyt-region&WT.nav=inside-nyt-region&redirect=true

“Television has changed remarkably over the past few years. It might be time for your viewing habits to change as well. Unless you enjoy paying more than $100 a month for a cable or satellite subscription you only half-use, you’re likely considering joining the growing ranks of consumers who have “cut the cord” and are now getting their favorite TV shows, movies and even live sports through the internet and streaming services. Making this change requires some preparation, though. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the cord-cutting process. And once you’re set up, hop on over to The New York Times’s site Watching for personalized movie and TV series recommendations.”