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TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15editor’s letterLUCIOUS AND COOKIE are doing it wrong.Building a music empire is fine, but if those two wanted to amass some real power, they should consider getting into the TV business. After all, the Lyons have nothing on the real-life success of Fox’s Empire, this year’s biggest TV juggernaut.In Hollywood, television has usually played second fiddle to the glitz and glamour of the film world. But that has changed over the past decade as A-list stars, writers and producers have discovered the power that comes from a hit TV franchise.Consider the real-life empires built by powerhouses Shonda Rhimes (the creator of Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, above) and Greg Berlanti (The Flash, Blindspot). Both producers have become so successful that they could probably sell the networks on a weekly, hourlong test pattern.…1 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15HBO’s Big YearNetflix’s push for movies…the industry’s top producers…the power of the election…THE Power PROGRAMMERSTHE Power PROGRAMMERSWINTER ISN’T COMING for HBO.The premium cable network has had a huge 2015 in viewership, buzz, critical acclaim and big award wins. Executives also changed the game behind the scenes with HBO Now, the new streaming service that allows, for the first time, viewers to subscribe without a cable or satellite subscription. For CEO Richard Plepler and programming president Michael Lombardo, their success culminated on Emmy night, when the network swept the competition with wins for outstanding drama (Game of Thrones), comedy (Veep), limited series (Olive Kitteridge) and TV movie (Bessie).They also made headlines for striking big deals to launch a daily news show with Vice Media and to air new episodes of Sesame Street (while…4 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15Staying PowerTHE Power MAINSTAYST hey are some of the most influential, creative minds in TV, and they show no signs of stopping. A handful of producers have changed the game when it comes to today’s hit programming, from the rebirth of the multicamera sitcom (Chuck Lorre) to the establishment of reality competition franchises (Mark Burnett) and the endurance of late night (Lorne Michaels). And their influence is only growing, with new projects that are replicating—and in some cases even overshadowing—their earlier successes.“I love going to work,” Lorre says. “I love the writing, the rewriting and the shoot nights. Maybe the love of doing it is translating onto the screen.”Lorne MichaelsFirst gig: The Canadian comedy producer moved south of the border to write for Laugh-In and The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show before…3 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15TOP OF THE CHARTSTHE Power SHOWThere’s epic. Then there’s Empire epic. Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard and Jussie Smollett—the three megawatt stars of the blockbuster Fox series—enter the show’s bustling soundstage in Chicago and are soon surrounded by over 200 extras, each dressed to the tens, for a blowout concert that will air during the December 2 midseason finale. Executive producer Sanaa Hamri, directing this three-ring-circus of an episode, calls for action, and suddenly Serayah McNeill, who plays Rihanna-esque hip-hop star Tiana, is blazing through the crowd. She is accompanied by a bevy of bubble-butted boys on hoverboards as she performs a raucous, sex-charged number called “Do Somethin’ Wit It.” But this is just the evening’s appetizer. Moments later, the waters part and in comes Alicia Keys.What’s at stake here? Everything. After all,…7 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15THE SIMPSONSTHE ALMIGHTY PowerIT’S ENOUGH TO make any cartoonist— hell, anyone in showbiz—yellow with envy. The Simpsons, born from the mad mind of comic-strip artist Matt Groening, began in 1987 as a bunch of quickie sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show. The raves were immediate, the possibilities unlimited. Two years later, the brilliantly snarky yet poignant adventures of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie debuted as a series on Fox, putting the fledgling network on the map; the show is now the longest-running scripted program in the history of primetime television. (It left the previous champ, Gunsmoke, in the dust six years ago).Then there’s the ka-ching factor. Ad revenue for the series, at last count, was nearing $6 billion. That’s a lot of Duff beer. But such success comes with…4 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15THE WIZ LIVE!THE Power TRENDAppointment television’s grave was already being dug. DVR and streaming services had their shovels in hand, and there didn’t appear to be a damn thing broadcasters could do about it.But then in 2013, NBC let Jesus—OK, Carrie Underwood—take the wheel. The network bet big on a live version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music starring the country crooner, and it paid off: A whopping 18.6 million viewers tuned in to watch Underwood belt her way through the Austrian hills in real time. Having cracked the code to successful event programming, NBC quickly green-lighted a follow-up—Peter Pan Live!— which aired one year later. Now, their latest endeavor, The Wiz Live!, is deep into rehearsals, and the live-event trend has exploded, with at least one network competitor taking…6 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15ROSEWOODTHIS WEEK’S EPISODE of Rosewood is a shocker—just not in the way you’d think. Turns out there’s another doctor in Miami who’s just as smart and handsome as private medical examiner Beaumont “Rosie” Rosewood (Morris Chestnut): his medschool chum pathologist Dr. Mike Boyce (guest star Taye Diggs, starting a multiepisode arc). When Rosie and his cop partner, Annalise Villa (Jaina Lee Ortiz), get stumped in the case of a poisoned fashion designer, they seek Mike’s expert help. And to Rosie’s annoyance, Mike catches Villa’s eye. Chestnut tells us about reuniting with Diggs (his costar in the films The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday) and what’s in store (romantically) for Villa and Rosie.How was reteaming with Taye Diggs?We’re actually very close. We’re both Capricorns, so we’re similar and have…3 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15MY ONE CHRISTMAS WISHNews flash: You can find things more meaningful than a used couch on Craigslist. That’s what California college student Jackie Turner, who grew up parentless, discovered in December 2013 after posting an ad requesting a mom and dad for the holidays. The reaction was so overwhelming that she ended up hosting a soiree for all the respondents. My One Christmas Wish, starring former Glee star Amber Riley, is Turner’s story (with a few twists, like a love interest, thrown in). Riley took a break from rehearsals for NBC’s The Wiz Live!, in which she plays Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North (see feature on page 38), to chat about Jackie, holiday movies and her Christmas traditions.What makes Jackie special? She is so resilient. Many people would have just imploded…3 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15THE FLASH/ARROWThe heroes of The Flash and Arrow are about to get their feathers ruffled in a two-part crossover that sets the stage for their midseason spinoff, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow— while also shaking things up for the Central City and Star City denizens. “This is so much bigger than last year,” says Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim. “It really feels like a twohour movie over two nights.”Kicking off on The Flash, the mega-story finds Barry (Grant Gustin) and Co. at a loss after Cisco’s (Carlos Valdes) new flame, Kendra Saunders (Ciara Renee), is targeted by the immortal killer Vandal Savage (Casper Crump). “He clearly has something mystical about him,” says Andrew Kreisberg, an executive producer on both shows. But the Flash squad is “used to science and metahumans; dealing with…2 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15InputFOLLOW US>TV Guide Magazine@TVGuideMagazineWrite to us: Letters, TV Guide Magazine, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10020, or email letters@tvgm.comQuick Clicks Despite its low ratings, we can’t break up with The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and at least one reader agrees with us. “I love this show,” wrote Faith Schafer. “Rebecca [Rachel Bloom] is a great combination of authentic, charming and, yes…crazy. Watching her navigate her new life—accompanied by the occasional song-and-dance number—it’s hard not to laugh, cry, see yourself, cringe. If you haven’t given it a second look, please do!”… Jacqueline Diamond doesn’t think the male-nudity trend on TV, which we recently detailed, measures up [“The Full Frontal Frontier,” November 9]. “A TV exec claims that male nudity is about ‘authenticity.’ That’s delusional,” she wrote. “When I see…2 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15Netflix Goes to the MoviesTHE Power DISRUPTORNetflix changed the way we consume television. Can it do the same for movies?The streaming service’s first major film release, writer/director Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation, is the inaugural test of its movie strategy. Beasts, starring Idris Elba as a brutal African warlord, launched October 16 simultaneously on Netflix platforms worldwide and in 31 U.S. theaters for two weeks, where it grossed just $90,777.Netflix, which paid $12 million for Beasts, is bullish on turning it into an Oscar contender, which explains the limited theatrical run—a movie must play in theaters to be eligible for an Academy Award. (Amazon Instant Video’s first film release, Spike Lee’s Chi-raq, hits theaters December 4, also in time for awards consideration.)The potential stink of Beasts’ small boxoffice haul led chief content officer…2 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15THE TASK MASTERSTHE Power PEOPLEJimmy Fallon, 41On-camera credits: Host of NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; acting stints include TV (Louie, The Spoils Before Dying) and film (Jurassic World, Fever Pitch); Saturday Night Live from 1998–2004 (NBC).Producing credits:The Tonight Show (NBC), Lip Sync Battle (Spike). After NBC passed on Battle, inspired by a wildly popular Tonight Show game, Fallon sold it to basic-cabler Spike; it premiered as the most-watched debut for an unscripted series in the network’s history.Other credits: “You’ve got to put the work in,” says Fallon, who just released his fourth book, Your Baby’s First Word Will Be Dada. “Nothing comes for free, so you put your head down and work and then you play after the show.”Through the decades, vintage TV stars like Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz…11 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15THE WALKING DEADAs always on The Walking Dead, safety is not a guarantee, especially on the midseason finale after Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his fellow crew of survivors find themselves trapped inside the Alexandria Safe Zone thanks to the zombie herd that surrounds the walls. “The world they have fought for and committed themselves to surviving in has become a prison,” executive producer Greg Nicotero says. “Ideas on how to lure [the zombies] away are bandied about, but they’re not all on the same page as to what the execution is.”While the Alexandrians fight to keep the undead out, another threat brews inside the gates as Morgan (Lennie James) holds a dangerous member of the Wolves gang hostage. “It really is a matter of time before either someone discovers him or…1 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15NFL FOOTBALLIt’s all feast, and never famine, when it comes to watching NFL football on Thanksgiving Day. The three games, starting around lunchtime and ending with a midnight snack, are “as American as turkey, dressing and pecan pie,” says CBS play-byplay man Jim Nantz.While some teams have been gorging on wins—at press time, three were still undefeated and four have just one or two losses— others are experiencing exceptionally lean times. “That’s usually not the way it goes in the NFL,” NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth says, noting that teams generally wind up somewhere around an 8-8 record after the regular season. “But it really does set up some intrigue on the back end and the playoffs.”The beleaguered Detroit Lions, “one of the big disappointments of the year,” Nantz says, host the…2 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15IT’S YOUR 50TH CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWNThe holiday season is here and so is the 50th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas, easily one of the most beloved yuletide specials of all time. And even though small-town pageants and aluminum trees are as dated as Flashbeagle, Linus’s center-stage message of peace on Earth and good will toward man is evergreen. “The world is different today, but the things Charles Schulz wrote about are as enduring now as they were when we started,” says Lee Mendelson, who executive produced the classic cartoon with the Peanuts maestro. To honor the gang’s holiday milestone, a slew of celebs are sharing their memories of the cartoon in a Kristen Bell–hosted special featuring musical performances by Kristin Chenoweth and Pentatonix, as well as a digitally remastered airing of the 1965 gem.…3 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15REIGNFRIDAY, DEC. 4A Very Murray Christmas Netflix Bill Murray plays himself in this madcap tribute to classic variety shows that includes appearances by George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Michael Cera, Rashida Jones, Maya Rudolph and more.Marc Maron: More Later 10/9c, Epix The celebrity podcaster discusses rage, religion and Skype sex in his first premium-cable stand-up show in 20 years.SATURDAY, DEC. 5The Flight Before Christmas 8/7c, Lifetime Mayim Bialik and Ryan McPartlin play opposites forced to snuggle down in a small Montana bed-and-breakfast when a snowstorm diverts their airplane on Christmas Eve.Doctor WhoSeason finale 9/8c, BBC America The Doctor faces his biggest challenge ever—and without a companion— in the conclusion to last week’s nail-biter.SUNDAY, DEC. 6Flesh and Bone 8/7c, Starz Somebody’s getting served: Kira and Claire compete to…3 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15The Big PictureEXCLUSIVE!HAVEN The efforts of cop Nathan (Lucas Bryant) to keep girlfriend Audrey safe from supernatural killer Croatoan are hindered when a superpower gone wrong possesses the police station on the December 3 episode of the Syfy drama. Complicating things further is the arrival of William Shatner (left, with Bryant, in the December 17 installment), who will appear in four episodes. “His character is a major reveal and will have a huge impact on the series,” executive producer Lloyd Segan says. “We will learn the answers to a host of questions about the show’s mythology.”THE LAST MAN ON EARTH There’s no place like the end of the world for the holidays. Fox’s comedy spreads some yuletide cheer on December 6 when Carol (Kristen Schaal) initiates a Secret Santa gift exchange for…2 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15Election Coverage PayoffsThe fall’s most sought-after celebrity guests are named Trump, Clinton and Carson. As presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle work the campaign trail, they’re goosing ratings on daytime and late-night shows. “Politics has always been an important part of who we are,” says The View’s consulting producer Candi Carter. “It’s a long race. Everyone is on our wish list!”AMERICA’S MOST WATCHEDTOP 25 SHOWSSource: Nielsen Media Research, week of November 2–8, 2015, in millions.THE Power EVENT9.3 millionViewers who watched Donald Trump host Saturday Night LiveTrump predicted that his November 7 hosting gig would go “through the roof,” and it did, earning the NBC sketch show its biggest audience since December 21, 2013. Winning the silver: Hillary Clinton, whose appearance in the October 3 season premiere drew 6.3 million viewers,…2 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15Into the BadlandsSundays, 10/9c, AMCJaws may drop as necks snap, bones crunch and bodies fly through the air, wielding sharpened blades of fury with the lethal balletic grace of martial arts. There’s no question Into the Badlands has the choreography down in these elaborate and often gruesome dances of death.But then they’ve got to go and ruin things by opening their mouths. “This world is built on blood. Nobody is innocent here,” narrates Badlands’ wooden yet dexterous hero (Daniel Wu), whose very name—Sunny?—reveals an almost comical lack of imagination by storytellers who strive for primal conflict but settle for woefully hokey melodrama. This is a game of groans.The hope evaporates quickly that Badlands might do for martial-arts action what its AMC companion-piece breakthrough The Walking Dead achieves in the horror genre. Dead…5 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15SHONDA RHIMESShe’s the creative force behind Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy and an executive producer of How to Get Away With Murder. Her knack for crafting character-rich, intricately plotted and effortlessly diverse dramas inspired ABC to commit its entire Thursday lineup to her hyper-addictive hits and brand it “TGIT.” This spring, she’ll launch another promising female-driven drama, The Catch, starring Mireille Enos (The Killing) and backed by her own production company, Shondaland. What’s more, the single mom of three daughters recently became a first-time author with the publication of her memoir, Year of Yes. But for Shonda Rhimes, TV phenomenon and pioneer, the definition of success boils down to one simple question. “It’s literally just: Am I happy?” she says. “Has my day gone well? If you’re not having a good time…4 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15GREG BERLANTITHE Power PRODUCERWITH FIVE SHOWS ON the air ( Arrow, Blindspot, The Flash, The Mysteries of Laura and Supergirl), one set for midseason (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and at least two more in development (see “To-Do List”), Greg Berlanti is either the hardest-working man in television, a member of a clone army intent on taking over Hollywood or a cyborg that doesn’t need sleep. “I actually wake up around 5am and do the creative stuff first because my brain is so fresh,” laughs the youthful 43-year-old, adding that he typically follows his predawn work with a trip to the gym— “from, like, 8:30 to 10am”—before heading to one of his two Burbank offices, at Warner Bros. or NBC.Feel like a sloth yet? Well, get ready to, because we got a…4 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15FOOD: FACT OR FICTION?TIME TO FACE facts. Chinese fortune cookies are actually Japanese. Italians did not invent spaghetti. And “Freedom fries” might be the more appropriate name for French fries after all—it was founding father Thomas Jefferson who introduced them to America after taking a liking to them during his European travels. The new Cooking Channel series Food: Fact or Fiction? is packed with such useless but delicious trivia. Even host Michael McKean is amazed at the findings—when, that is, he’s not freaking out.What’s the wildest food factoid you folks have uncovered? How Genghis Khan is connected to the creation of the hamburger. It’s shocking. Not Soylent Green shocking. But it’s pretty dire. A few things have taken me to the limit. Don’t get me started on oysters, which to me taste like…3 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15TOP CHEFTO FIRE UP Season 13, Top Chef is hitting the road and trekking across California to explore the state’s eclectic culinary identity. We caught up with the show’s longtime host, Padma Lakshmi, to see how things pan out.How do you keep the series fresh 13 seasons in? Not since the Texas season have we been in more than one city. But this was different. We were really on a road trip, up and down the Pacific Coast Highway: San Diego and Palm Springs and San Francisco and Santa Barbara and Los Angeles twice. So it really did feel like this gypsy caravan, which was fun. Exhausting, but fun.What was your favorite challenge? The contestants have to cater a wedding in Palm Springs. We married 25 couples. I got ordained and…3 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15THE KNICK’S EVE HEWSONSHE PLAYS Lucy Elkins, the meek, religiously raised nurse from Appalachia who blossoms—in the most outrageous ways—in Steven Soderbergh’s 1900s-era medical drama The Knick. “Steven told me Lucy was heading down a rabbit hole but wouldn’t elaborate,” Hewson says. “He just kept saying, ‘It’s f---ed up! It’s f---ed up!’ ” And it is. After being callously dumped by her lover, Dr. Thackery (Clive Owen), Lucy “can’t put up with people pushing her around anymore,” Hewson says. “Now she’s ballsy. She wants to move up in society and will do whatever it takes.” That includes sexually pleasuring Chinese drug lord Ping Wu (Perry Yung) in order to afford nice outfits.WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER Hewson plays Tom Hanks’s daughter—and narrowly escapes death—in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies. And she was just cast…3 min
TV Guide Magazine|Nov-23-15CROSSWORDNOVEMBER 23, 2015 | PUZZLE #1268ACROSS1 Doctor Holland on Swamp Thing5 ____ of My Best Friends9 Grauer of Black Sash12 Producer of Maude13 October birthstone14 Aranha of Married People15 Elvis’s job on Pacifi c Blue (2 wds.)18 Brauner of B.A.D. Cats19 Brand of Laredo20 Tear22 ____ and the City23Dateline ____26 Family on What a Dummy31 Hearing devices33 Dined at Jack’s Place34 Flack of Black Scorpion35 To air on TV38 Vegas move39 Negative word40Tic- ____ -Dough42 Actor Prinze, Jr.46 Director Welles50 Used for recording52 ____: Crime Scene Investigation53 Addy of Still Standing54 Where plants grow55Anna and ____ King56 Partner57 An impudent rejoinderDOWN1 Jessica of Dark Angel2 Hawaiian necklaces3We’ve Got ____ Other4 Jon of The Famous Teddy Z5 Doctor Goldman on The Evidence6 ____ All Night7 Gordian knot (2 wds.)8 Spinal Tap…2 min
