Caroline Framke: Last News

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is as big a TV show as TV shows have ever been, with a record-setting budget spent on recreating J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth during the Second Age, and a cast of nearly two dozen series regulars and dozens more featured players deployed to enact its sprawling tale of the rise of Sauron. And yet one character sits undeniably at the show’s center: Galadriel. The ancient elf, so old she was born before the moon and the sun first graced Middle-earth, was a crucial character in Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” novels and Peter Jackson’s “Rings” trilogy, as played by Cate Blanchett.  In “The Rings of Power,” set thousands of years before the events of “The Lord of the Rings,” a younger Galadriel is not yet the serene and wise co-ruler of the Elven kingdom of Lothlórien. Instead, she’s consumed by her hunt for the Dark Lord Sauron, the mysteriously absent master of evil responsible for the death of Galadriel’s brother. In “Rings of Power,” Galadriel is at once hardened by the millennia she’s already been alive, but not yet the stately (and formidable) woman of stature she becomes in the Third Age.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic For any adult still avoiding animation out of some stubborn refusal to understand its advantages as a both visual and storytelling medium, “Pantheon” makes its ambitions known from the get-go. After the eerie opening theme, scoring a fluorescent string of code smashing through a Greek statue, the show cuts to a high-school classroom, where a blunt voiceover lays the stakes bare. “Most of the girls in my class completely missed the moment when the world began to end,” teen outcast Maddie Kim (Katie Chang) tells us, the laptops blinking in unison as if in agreement. It’s a fittingly arresting start to this unnerving series, which taps an all-star cast to meld micro character work with macro questions about technology that may never have a satisfying answer.

Michaela Zee editor“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is only days away, and the Amazon Prime Video series has earned mostly rave reviews with a few mixed reactions (and one flat-out pan) as critics returned to Middle-earth.As Variety chief TV critic Caroline Framke wrote in her review: “It’s safe to say that Amazon throwing the weight of its coffers at this property has resulted in a perfectly winning adaptation that unfolds swashbuckling adventures with clear reverence and affection for the considerable mythos behind it.”Set during the Second Age of Middle-earth (thousands of years before the events of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Hobbit”), the prequel series reintroduces characters from Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, including a young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo). The Second Age consists of the rise and fall of Númenor, the creation of the Rings of Power and the formation of the Last Alliance.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic Several years (and several hundreds of millions of dollars) after Amazon bought the TV rights to “The Lord of the Rings” from the J.R.R. Tolkien estate, the mammoth effort to boost Prime Video’s profile with the same kind of phenomenon HBO found in “Game of Thrones” is upon us — and it’s just as grand, if not as downright surreal, as the occasion calls for. Sure, “Game of Thrones” might have solidified a television format for fantasy epics. But George R.R. Martin’s novels simply wouldn’t exist without Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” and bringing these stories to episodic life requires not just all the considerable money Amazon can provide, but a certain amount of guts from the TV writers taking it on now, some 85 years after “The Hobbit” changed the game. 

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic The most frustrating turn in any romantic comedy is when the leading lady and/or man becomes a jerk. It’s a crucial moment — necessary, even — but it’s always the hump you have to endure in order to get to the part where everyone learns their lesson, embraces their truth, and kisses their hot crush to the triumphant swell of an impossibly catchy pop song that will nonetheless fade from memory by the time the credits roll. Without that annoying blip of tension, that payoff won’t be half as sweet — or, truth be told, half as earned. Such is the conundrum facing “Partner Track,” Netflix’s frothy new comedy based on Helen Wan’s novel about lawyers fighting tooth and nail to become partner, if only they could stop getting distracted by each other. Ingrid (Arden Cho) is the firm’s determined golden girl, especially because she’s always willing to work overtime and do everything her mercurial boss (Matthew Rauch) tells her, no matter how morally questionable. As she tells us in the pilot’s peppy opening narration, she chose to go into Mergers and Acquisitions because that’s what all the best corporate lawyers do. That she’s often compromising her values or throwing friends like Rachel (Alexandra Turshen) and Tyler (Bradley Gibson) under the bus to climb the company ladder is, she reasons, an inevitable hazard of the job.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic At a Texan courthouse, while waiting for his family’s number to be called for a long-awaited hearing, Mo (Mohammed Amer) starts having a sweaty meltdown at precisely the least convenient moment. Fresh off a fight with his girlfriend Maria (Teresa Ruiz), worried sick for his mother, Yusra (Farah Bseiso), and in disbelief that his Palestinian refugee family might actually be getting the asylum they’ve needed for so long, Mo’s so overwhelmed and impatient that he can barely stay in his seat. As with most every episode of “Mo,” Netflix’s new series created by Amer and Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”), the stakes are as high as Mo’s escalating blood pressure.   But “Mo” is also a comedy with a fast-talking lionheart at its center, and as such, even this incredibly stressful time can vibrate with frissons of the ridiculous. Mo tussles with a security guard who refuses to share his water when the vending machine breaks. Yusra, who’s spent years waiting for this day, can’t stop fixating on Mo’s accusation that her giving Maria a cuff bracelet to hide her crucifix tattoo was not, in fact, an entirely altruistic act. Their flighty former lawyer (Cynthia Yelle) smugly parades her current client in front of their new lawyer (Lee Eddy), who’s perfectly competent but immediately loses points for not being Palestinian. Meanwhile, Mo’s brother Sameer (Omar Elba) briefly goes missing to chase an apparently rare finch. Even as they’re all doing their best to keep themselves and their family in one piece, the show keeps finding ways to let Mo and the rest of the Najjar family remain entirely themselves. 

Ethan Shanfeld “The Sandman,” Netflix’s TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s sprawling comic book series, is approaching its third week at the top of Netflix’s Global Top 10 list. The series has racked up over 127.5 million hours viewed, but Gaiman thinks that “may not be enough” for Netflix to renew it for a second season.Answering some questions on Twitter over the weekend, Gaiman explained why fans shouldn’t assume the show’s massive popularity will lead to a Season 2.“Because ‘Sandman’ is a really expensive show,” Gaiman tweeted, responding to a commenter asking why “S2 is even a question.”Gaiman continued, “And for Netflix to release the money to let us make another season we have to perform incredibly well.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticIf Sharon Horgan’s attached to a show, there’s a more than decent chance that it’ll be a spiky comedy tinged with the tragedy of everyday indignities. From “Catastrophe” to “Motherland” to “Shining Vale,” Horgan’s cornered an enviable market that almost always delivers, especially when it comes to the ins and outs of being a smart woman in an increasingly dumb world.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticIt’s all too easy to understand the appeal of a show like “Echoes” to a streaming service like Netflix. From creator Vanessa Gazy and showrunners Quentin Peeples and Brian Yorkey (“13 Reasons Why”), “Echoes” feels like “Firefly Lane” and “Behind Her Eyes” collided to create a melodrama as deeply strange as it is quickly ingestible. Its seven episodes fly by fast enough to distract from the fact that they only barely make sense.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Marvel is back with another comic book adapted series, this time based off of the beloved lawyer-turned-superhero Jennifer Walters played by Tatiana Maslany.The series, whose first episode arrived on Disney+ this morning, follows Walters as she transforms into the 6-foot-7-inch She-Hulk after getting cross-contaminated with the blood of her cousin (The Hulk) played by Mark Ruffalo.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticNo one is more annoyed by the derivative moniker of “She-Hulk” than Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk herself. In a stark departure from her brooding cousin Bruce (“Avengers” veteran Mark Ruffalo), the lawyer turned reluctant superhero (played by “Orphan Black” star Tatiana Maslany) approaches her life with a winsome grin and “let’s get this over with!” sigh.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticThe basics of “This Fool” are straightforward and familiar enough. Hulu’s new comedy stars stand-up comedian Chris Estrada as Julio, a 30 year-old who lives with his strict mother (Laura Patalano) and not-so-secretly badass grandmother (Julia Vera).

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticThe moment Sheryl Lee Ralph found out that her standout role on “Abbott Elementary” had landed her an Emmy nom was immediately immortalized for all the internet to see. On vacation with her family in Jamaica, Ralph gasped into her phone as her son filmed her shock and awe unfolding in real time.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticAs a newcomer to Neil Gaiman’s seminal comic book series “The Sandman” (cue diehard fans immediately clicking out of this review, and fair enough!), I came to Netflix’s adaptation with an open mind and curious eye. Knowing this 1989 title had spawned onscreen spinoffs of “Sandman” characters — “Lucifer,” “Constantine,” etcetera — but never one of its own, it was hard not to wonder what about it might have made a live-action version so hard that it never happened until now.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticGet ready to check back into “The White Lotus.”HBO’s anthology series about life among the wealthy and dissatisfied at a chain of upscale resorts will premiere its second installment in October, Variety can exclusively reveal.The Mike White-created series is shifting the action to Sicily, where new hotel staffers and new guests will face off; Jennifer Coolidge, this week’s Variety cover star, is the only series regular to be returning, as she reprises her role as spiritually seeking socialite Tanya McQuoid. Above, check out Coolidge in Euro-glam mode in the exclusive first image released of the new season.In its initial, Hawaii-set season, which aired in the summer of 2021, “The White Lotus” was a sensation, immediately pulling in 1.9 million viewers across linear and digital platforms for its finale, a number that only grew from there.

Angelique Jackson CAA has signed writer-director Sadé Clacken Joseph, who most recently directed two episodes of Issa Rae’s “Rap Sh!t,” for representation.The HBO Max comedy series stars Aida Osman, KaMillion, Jonica Booth and RJ Cyler, with Syreeta Singleton as showrunner. Joseph helmed the pilot and second episode, titled “Something for the City” and “Something for the Girls” respectively.

J. Kim Murphy Showtime has elected against moving forward with a second season of its anthology series “The First Lady.” The decision comes a little over six weeks after the series aired its Season 1 finale on the network.“Showtime can confirm that the anthology series ‘The First Lady’will not be moving forward with another season,” a Showtime spokesperson told Variety.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticThere’s a desperate restlessness at the heart of the first, fantastic season of “Reservation Dogs.” Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi’s FX series, which premiered last August, kept a watchful eye out for the strange, and strangely beautiful, moments woven into each hazy day for four best friends reeling from the sudden death of their fifth. It took no time at all to understand Bear (D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai), Elora (Devery Jacobs), Cheese (Lane Factor) and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), nor to slip into the show’s world where the banal could meet the surreal at any given moment.The same holds true in Season 2, which opens just hours after Elora’s not only skipped town with laconic bully Jackie (Elva Guerra) and all their money, but has also left a furious, confused Bear behind.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticLet’s get this out of the way now: The comparisons “Paper Girls” will get to “Stranger Things” are inevitable, but not especially fair.Yes, “Paper Girls” also opens in the 1980s with four 12-year-olds on bikes who end up tackling otherworldly forces way bigger than themselves. But by the middle of the first episode, “Paper Girls” — which was a comic book series before “Stranger Things” was a TV show, anyway — turns itself inside out to become something else entirely.

Zack Sharf “Harley Quinn” Season 3 just launched on HBO Max, and it appears fans won’t have to worry too much about the longevity of Harley and Ivy’s relationship. The two villains romantically linked up in the Season 2 finale of the animated comic book series, much to the delight of fans. Showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker recently confirmed to the AV Club that Harley and Ivy are in for the long haul.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticFor a certain generation of TV watchers, the theme song for “Pretty Little Liars” scratches an itch like no other. The original series, which ran for seven seasons on ABC Family before the channel became Freeform, began each episode with the lilting melodies of the Pierces’ “Secret” over pristine images of the main quartet in their funereal finest, making winking eye contact with the camera in order to shush it.