A new era of ‘Behind the Music’ begins
Paramount+ offers a wayback trip to the turn of the century. Look for the return of “Behind the Music,” the pop biography series that debuted in 1997. The series applied the “whatever happened to?” approach to musicians and bands both long and recently forgotten. Milli Vanilli, “gone” for some seven years, inspired the very first “Behind the Music.” Over nearly 300 episodes, “Behind” has profiled stars from AC/DC to “Weird Al” Yankovic.
The 2021 reboot will premiere with a glance back at the careers of Ricky Martin and LL Cool J. New episodes will drop every Thursday night through Sept. 9, and will include Huey Lewis, Duran Duran and Fat Joe. The season will resume at a later date with profiles of Jennifer Lopez, among others.
› Speaking of reboots, HBO Max folds a gathering of vintage cartoon characters into the manic cartoon series “Jellystone,” featuring pop-savvy patter from characters with only a passing resemblance to their classic incarnations. Look for Yogi Bear, Cindy Bear, Boo-Boo and Huckleberry Hound, Jabberjaw, Top Cat, Snagglepuss, El Kabong, Wally Gator, Jonny Quest, Hadji and Shag Rugg.
› Shudder, the streaming service dedicated to horror films, debuts the 2020 shocker “The Boy Behind the Door.” Written and directed by David Charbonier and Justin Powell in their feature film debut, the movie stars Lonnie Chavis as a 12-year-old boy abducted on his way home from school. After escaping his captor’s lair, he manages to stay one step ahead of a gruesome end by means of planning and guile. The film was praised for blending a gamelike quality of obstacle and evasion with remarkable emotional realism. Writing in the Austin Chronicle, Richard Whittaker called it a “perfectly executed game of cat-andmouse, twisting the tension in perfect real time.” Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News called it “one of the most terrifying films I’ve ever seen.”
› Dominic West joins the cast of “The Wine Show,” now entering its third season, streaming new episodes every Thursday on Sundance Now, AMC+ and Acorn. Matthew Rhys (“The
Americans”), James Purefoy (“Pennyworth,” “Rome”), Matthew Goode (“Downton Abbey” and “A Discovery of Witches”) and West (“The Affair”) take viewers on a cinematic tour of some of the world’s great wine cultures.
The show is shot and somewhat structured like a mock spy thriller, with the actors given “assignments” to ferret out the secret histories behind some of the world’s great wines. First up, a trip to Portugal and lessons in how that seafaring nation cross-pollinated cultures from Brazil to India, sparking revolutions
in world cuisines and creating a need for wines to accompany these novel dishes.
“Wine” is best appreciated for its visual splendor. The cast has clearly been assembled as eye candy for the discerning female PBS/BBC fan. Much of the photography features wide and aerial footage of buildings and scenery. For all of the acting talent on hand, there’s almost too much going on for them to engage in actual conversation or witty patter.