Caroline Framke: Last News

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic It’s not an exaggeration to say that the world in which “Inside Amy Schumer” once existed no longer exists. Premiering in 2013 right as TV criticism and chatter was finding its internet foothold (for better and for worse), Schumer’s sardonic sketch series took pleasure in twisting second-wave #feminist rhetoric into a pretzel, pushing the bounds of “good taste,” and wryly skewering the comedian at its center as a hopelessly “unfuckable” woman who, depending on the day, either cared too much or couldn’t give less of a damn. At its most pointed, “Inside Amy Schumer” rooted around in the detritus of society’s standards with enviable precision; at its dullest, it gave in to lampooning the same stereotypes that comedy’s been hammering for decades under the guise of Schumer playing a caricature of herself. Ending in June 2016, however, also meant that the show narrowly escaped the waves of liberal white women’s anger following Donald Trump’s electoral victory, at which point it might’ve become something else completely. 

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Set sail for the high seas! Max‘s swashbuckling romantic comedy “Our Flag Means Death” returns for season 2 on Oct. 5, a year-and-a-half after season 1 wrapped.

Ellise Shafer Netflix’s “Elite” is officially getting an eighth season. The streamer announced on Wednesday morning that production on Season 8 will commence in August. Episodes for the upcoming season will be directed by Daniel Barone, Ginesta Guindal, Jota Linares and Elena Trapé. New characters will include Ane Rot (“Killer Book Club”) and Nuno Gallego (“UPA Next”). Mina el Hammani will also return to the series to reprise her role of Nadia. “Elite,” created by Carlos Montero and Jaime Vaca, is Netflix Spain’s longest-running fictional series. Set at Las Encinas, an elite high school, the series follows a group of working class students at the school and their relationships with their wealthier classmates.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic Of all the possible outcomes facing Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” the one I didn’t see coming is that I’d end up feeling a need to defend it. Basically, everything about the show’s production (i.e. a behemoth corporation spending unfathomable amounts of money on a blatant IP grab for a streaming service on the edge of relevance) represents everything I’ve come to loathe about the entertainment industry. The age of TV reboots seems almost quaint now, in this era of endless prequels and sequels to spinoffs of franchises. As the most expensive television series of all time (all! time!), “The Rings of Power” should by all rights be Enemy No. 1.  

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic If you’re someone of a certain (gay) persuasion, all I have to say about “High School” to pique your interest is that it’s a) a new coming-of-age drama about twin musicians Tegan and Sara Quin that’s b) based on Tegan and Sara’s own memoir, c) co-stars Cobie Smulders as their mother and d) was created in large part by no other than Clea DuVall, whose performance in “But I’m a Cheerleader” among many other credits has long made her the subject of many a queer awakening. Whether these points immediately intrigue you or not, though, you should also know that the show is also great. You don’t have to know who Tegan and Sara are to appreciate their story, which explores loneliness, connection and longing with such palpable empathy.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic Emily Ratajkowski, the model and bestselling author of essay collection “My Body,” is ready to add “podcast host” to her resumé. “High Low with EmRata,” which Ratajkowski describes as “‘Call Her Daddy’ meets ‘Fresh Air,'” will launch Tuesday, November 1. “I decided I wanted to write the book before I ever would even think about a podcast, but it’s sort of a natural progression for me,” the 31 year-old tells Variety exclusively. “I’m very excited about producing the show and doing it in my own way.” Launching in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment, “High Low with EmRata” will release two episodes a week plus a bonus episode for subscribers only. The two main episodes will consist of one guest interview and one “themed” episode that Ratajkowski describes as “a monologue” more in the vein of her essays. “I grew up listening to NPR and radio because we didn’t have television…Ira Glass was my hero,” she continues. “To be able to dive into topics that I’m interested in, in this format is so exciting.” The range of topics Ratajkowski hopes to tackle include feminism, pop culture, self-image, relationships, and “cultural moments” that encompass all the above. “I don’t want the show to at all feel pretentious, but I want to be talking about things that I find interesting and important,” she says, citing interviewer influences ranging from Terry Gross to Howard Stern.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix fans continue to flock to binge-watch “Dahmer,” the unsettling drama series starring Evan Peters as the infamous killer cannibal, in record numbers. Ryan Murphy’s “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” topped Netflix’s English TV Top 10 list for the third week in a row, with 205.33 million hours viewed for the week of Oct. 3-9. That means the limited series is now Netflix’s second most popular English-language series of all time in its initial release, with 701.37 million hours watched, behind only “Stranger Things 4,” which was watched 1.35 billion hours in its first 28 days. “Dahmer” has now garnered more watch-time than seasons 1 and 2 of Shonda Rhimes’ “Bridgerton” in their first four weeks on the service.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic It was only a matter of time before broadcast TV — where police procedurals reign supreme — took a harder pivot into exploring the lives of firefighters. With audiences either craving more cop content or deeply skeptical of its lionization, it makes sense that networks might be more into the idea of spotlighting firefighters, who tend to point hoses at the danger they face rather than guns. Now joining the likes of ABC’s “Station 19” and NBC’s “Chicago Fire” is CBS’ “Fire Country.” Executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and with the explosive stunts and set pieces to match, the new drama takes place in Northern California’s increasingly endangered woodlands, where a single spark can become a catastrophic nightmare within minutes. Promotion for the show has made sure to highlight the fact that it came from a pitch by star Max Thieriot (“SEAL Team”), as based on “his experiences growing up in Northern California.” But “Fire Country” isn’t just about firefighters battling brushfires. It’s also about incarcerated people trading months of their sentence for dirt cheap, backbreaking labor — an experience that, as far as I can tell, is not one Thierot or his firefighter friends have ever had.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic As every network jockeys to own the shiniest piece of IP possible to attract distracted viewers, the best thing to say about any adaptation is that it honors the source material while also evolving it, believably and purposefully, to fit a new medium. AMC aims to do exactly that with “Interview With the Vampire,” the first installment of what it’s calling “The Immortal Universe,” having bought the rights to many of Anne Rice’s most iconic works. With both the books and evocative 1994 film to contend with, creator Rolin Jones (“Perry Mason”) took on an admittedly enormous challenge. How do you stay faithful to what makes Rice’s novels so popular while bringing something to the screen that the likes of Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and a tiny Kirsten Dunst didn’t?  

Zack Sharf Netflix has removed the LGBTQ tag from its Ryan Murphy-created Jeffrey Dahmer limited series, “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” The show, starring Evan Peters as the notorious serial killer, launched Sept. 21 on the streaming platform and was categorized under the LGBTQ tag for at least two days. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Variety the LGBTQ tag was officially removed by Friday, Sept. 23. The decision to categorize “Dahmer” as LGBTQ content ignited controversy on social media, with many subscribers condemning Netflix for the decision (via the Los Angeles Times). The tag is normally used to spotlight shows such as “Heartstopper” and “Sex Education,” both of which include LGBTQ characters and subject matter in a positive light. “Dahmer” technically does feature an LGBTQ character since the serial killer was a gay man, but as one subscriber wrote on TikTok, “This is not the representation we’re looking for.”

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic On its surface, “So Help Me Todd” is fairly straightforward. Based on creator Scott Prendergast’s own experiences, the new dramedy tells the story of high-powered lawyer Joan (Marcia Gay Harden) and her private investigator son (Skylar Astin) forging an unlikely partnership. Each episode follows a different case before the odd couple team inevitably catch the culprit and teach each other a valuable lesson. So far, so fitting for a CBS procedural. And yet there’s something deeply uncanny about “So Help Me Todd,” which pairs an aggressive perkiness with moments of drama that feel more forced than moving. Todd and Joan spend the first few episodes sniping at each other in between finding clues. Once Todd proves that he’s a good enough private investigator to overcome his spotty past, he joins Joan’s office, where he locks horns with an uptight coworker Lyle (Tristen J. Winger) and ex-girlfriend Susan (Inga Schlingmann), neither of whom get much to do outside giving Todd other people to talk to besides his mother. At home, Todd’s sister Allison (Madeline Wise) occasionally gives the show a much needed dose of dry skepticism, though she also is only here to support her brother and mother’s leading stories.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic It takes six episodes for “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (yes, that is indeed the show’s full name) to meaningfully expand beyond the scope of either the serial killer or Evan Peters’ portrayal of him. In that episode, “Silenced,” directed by Paris Barclay and written by Janet Mock and David McMillan, the story of Dahmer victim Tony Anthony Hughes comes to the forefront. Tony (played with warm charm by “Deaf U” alum Rodney Burford) was a gregarious aspiring model with a big heart. He was Deaf, Black, gay, a great dancer. His friends and mother (a moving Karen Malina White) loved him very much. With every moment Burford gets to give Tony new life, the inevitable end of “Silenced” becomes all the more harrowing, and the cops’ inaction to find the truth all the more infuriating. But as the show’s nonsensical maze of a title suggests, this episode is an exception rather than the rule. Otherwise, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s new Netflix series is a grim, sepia-toned slog that rarely justifies its own existence.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Yet another “Star Wars” series arrives on Disney+ today, this time a “prequel of a prequel” that centers around Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor following his home planet’s destruction and the rise of the Rebel Alliance. “Andor,” whose first three episodes premiered on the streamer on Sept. 21, stars Luna as the eponymous Rebel leader. It’s mostly set five years before the events of “Rogue One” with the exception of some flashback scenes tracing Andor’s childhood. Written by “Rogue One” co-writer Tony Gilroy, the series serves as an enthralling set-up to the dramatic mission that takes place in the 2016 film, which sees Cassian’s “Star Wars” legacy solidified when he successfully steals the Death Star plans.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic “Andor” is, both by design and circumstance, immediately different from its “Star Wars” television predecessors. Where “The Mandalorian,” “Boba Fett,” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” wove their biggest reveals into the larger fabric of the Lucasfilm universe, “Andor” doesn’t rush toward those moments that might make fans gasp out of pure recognition. Instead, it does something more surprising still: it tells the story of people who have nothing to do with Solos, Skywalkers or Palpatines, but whose lives matter nonetheless. Of course, at least part of the reason the series can take its time this way is because haunted hustler Cassian Andor (Diego Luna, also an executive producer) isn’t a brand-new character at all. As the reluctant hero of 2016’s “Rogue One,” which portrayed the rebel pilot mission to steal the Death Star plans which drive “A New Hope,” Cassian’s “Star Wars” legacy is already written. We already know Cassian’s life will eventually intersect with someone like rebel leader Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly, returning for more in-depth work in “Andor”). We already know his fate — dramatic and hopeful and unforgettable in those final minutes of “Rogue One” — and that it’s well and truly sealed.  

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic It stands to reason that “Reboot” is immediately an entertainment biz turducken of industry lingo and in-jokes. From “Modern Family” creator Steven Levitan, the new Hulu series depicts the reboot — also airing on Hulu — of a family sitcom and all the behind-the-scenes drama that inevitably follows. Levitan, whose credits include “Just Shoot Me” and “Wings,” obviously knows his way around a multi-cam, and his pilot co-writer John Enbom made a meal in “Party Down” of exploiting the seediest corners of Hollywood ambition. The combination of the two sensibilities makes for a (mostly) realistic peek into life on a studio lot, but that’s probably a given. That it ends up (mostly) toothless comes as a genuine surprise.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic To (extremely) paraphrase Benjamin Franklin: nothing is certain in storytelling but love, death, and vampires combining the two. In the last 30 years, give or take a “True Blood,” some of TV’s most popular interpretations of one of the world’s eldest mythic creatures have tended to lean toward the teenaged variety, whether plucky and battle-scarred (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) or moody and yearning (“The Vampire Diaries”). Now, Peacock’s “Vampire Academy,” from “Vampire Diaries” co-creator Julie Plec and “The Originals” producer Marguerite MacIntyre, combines all the above into one package that ends up intriguing enough, if also unavoidably cheesy in its attempts to stand out amongst the fray.  

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic The moment Sheryl Lee Ralph opened her mouth and let loose the first jaw-dropping note of Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species,” it was an Emmy speech for the ages. Quaking with emotion and palpably overcome, Ralph’s acceptance for her best supporting actress trophy was as impassioned as it was memorable — especially, perhaps, because she didn’t have to recite a litany of names before the timer ran out. Instead, a simple ticker of people Ralph wished to mention scrolled by in a chyron as she lifted her Emmy to the sky in triumph.   With most nominees appearing to submit names ahead of time in case they should win, the most memorable speeches of the night were freer to go off-script and embrace their moment, in the moment. After Ralph’s gorgeous display of joy, Lizzo’s surprise reality series win was capped with a tearful speech that didn’t have to include the many names of “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” producers at all. Instead, they whizzed by underneath as she told the story of growing up wishing “to see someone fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me.”  

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic If you were to see the trailer or basically any promotional material for “The Serpent Queen,” Starz’s new series about the infamous life of one Catherine de Medici, you’d be forgiven for assuming it’s a showcase for Samantha Morton in a historical drama with modern touches, following in the footsteps of her recent turn in “Harlots.” Even its arresting opening credits sequence, which sees Morton stride to a throne to a heavy guitar lick as snakes slither out and toward her, suggests a show preoccupied with being Edgy and Different — a show that would consider itself to be not like Starz’s many other historical drama girls, as it were.   However: as adapted from Leonie Frieda’s biography by Justin Haythe, this perception proves to be only somewhat the case. In fact, the first few episodes of “The Serpent Queen” — which premieres Sunday, Sept. 11 — feature Morton sparingly, with an elder Catherine telling the story of how she came to France as a teenager (played by Liv Hill) to a spirited maid (Sennia Nanua), in whom she sees a kindred spirit. In truth, Morton should only barely be considered the show’s lead until the fourth episode, which moves Catherine’s flashbacks far enough forward in time that she can safely assume the role in both the past and present, as she begins to square off against her formidable daughter-in-law, Mary Queen of Scots (Antonia Clarke). 

Selome Hailu Amazon Prime Video has canceled “Paper Girls” after one season. The series was produced by Amazon Studios and Legendary Television in association with Plan B. It is based on the graphic novel series of the same name written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Cliff Chiang and published by Image Comics. “Paper Girls” begins in the early morning hours after Halloween 1988, when four newspaper delivery girls — Erin (Riley Lai Nelet), Mac (Sofia Rosinsky), Tiffany (Camryn Jones), and KJ (Fina Strazza) — are out on their route when they become caught in the crossfire between warring time-travelers, changing the course of their lives forever. Transported into the future, they must figure out a way to get back home to the past, a journey that will bring them face-to-face with the grown-up versions of themselves. While reconciling that their futures are far different than their 12-year-old selves imagined, they are being hunted by a militant faction of time-travelers known as the Old Watch, who have outlawed time travel so that they can stay in power. In order to survive, the girls must to overcome their differences and learn to trust each other and themselves.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic At first, Hulu’s “Wedding Season” seems to be a charming enough take on a British “Four Weddings and a Funeral”-style romantic comedy, complete with a hopeless romantic boy, his boisterous friend group, and the enigmatic American girl he falls for the minute he meets her at — where else? — a wedding. But both Oliver Lyttelton’s take on the setup and the American at its center have more up their sleeves than a charming meet-cute. The second that initial layer’s peeled, “Wedding Season” (not to be confused with Netflix’s recent movie of the same name) is off and running in another direction entirely — a murder mystery with roots in the kind of deep corruption that would give Jason Bourne nightmares. Whether or not it all hangs together will be for the audience to decide, with all eight episodes out Sept. 8 on Hulu (but only seven made available for critics ahead of its premiere). What is clear regardless of how the mystery ends, however, is the talent of its cast, and its charismatic lead in particular. 

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic In the months after Donald Trump became president and a flush of liberal rage manifested in impassioned Women’s Marches across the country, Hillary Clinton took a sizeable step back from public life. Having been a flashpoint of both controversy and sympathy for her entire adult life, Clinton found herself having to forge a new kind of identity — one that wouldn’t be tied to any kind of political office, but could still use support from those Democrats whose first reaction to Trump’s inauguration was to crochet pink “pussyhats” and march as a unified pink wave of righteous fury. “Gutsy,” Clinton’s new and self-consciously #feminist show produced with her daughter, Chelsea, helps the former candidate do exactly that, tapping everyone from Gloria Steinem to Megan Thee Stallion to explore what it means to be a “gutsy” woman. But watching the show’s eight curated episodes, all of which premiere September 9 on Apple TV+, feels like stepping back in feminism to Clinton’s campaign selling “NASTY WOMAN” T-shirts or Women’s March protesters lifting “IF HILLARY HAD BEEN ELECTED, WE’D BE AT BRUNCH RIGHT NOW” signs. Even with titles like “Gutsy Women Refuse Hate” and “Gutsy Women Have Rebel Hearts,” “Gutsy” bears the appearance of taking on The Hard Questions without doing much to move its conversations forward. Determined to find a silver lining in every cloud, and less furious with the world than annoyed at being misconceived, the Clintons spend much of their time in this series seeking out people who feel the same rather than challenging their own worldviews — or their likely viewers’ — at all.