Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Stars on screen
Ninja time: A competitive game show of sorts that almost guarantees that there won’t be a winner — it sounds like something out of a television executive’s bizarro playbook. But no, it’s “American Ninja Warrior,” NBC’s grueling summer competition series, and it’s back for a ninth season starting Monday, June 12, on the peacock network.
Comedian and recent “New Celebrity Apprentice” winner Matt Iseman returns as host, along with sports reporter Kristine Leahy and former NFL player Akbar Gbajabiamila. The combination of sports know-how and quick-witted humor is a huge part of what has made the show one of NBC’s summertime success stories; of course, an even bigger part is the competition itself.
For folks who aren’t in the know, here’s a rundown of “American Ninja Warrior”: It’s based on a Japanese show called “Sasuke,” which has been airing since 1997, and is, at its core, just a series of obstacle courses. But these aren’t the run-of-the-mill sort of obstacle courses you might check out at the local fair. Nope, these monstrosities are designed to test the absolute limits of human strength and endurance.
The series follows along as athletic hopefuls take part in courses set up in cities around the country over two rounds: qualifying and city finals. Only those who can successfully complete both of those rounds are invited to the national finals round in Las Vegas.
And that’s where the real challenge begins. Only one winner has ever successfully completed all of the challenges put before him: season 7’s Isaac Caldiero took home the $1-million prize, a feat that no challenger was able to match last season.
Will season 9 see another winner crowned? “American Ninja Warrior” returns Monday, June 12, on NBC.
Return to Lanford: Two decades after the lights went out in the Conner household for what was (we thought) the last time, Sara Gilbert (“The Talk”) is flicking them back on again. “Roseanne,” the comedy that ran from 1988 to 1997, and is frequently cited as one of the best TV series of all time, is headed for a revival.
ABC has picked up the revived series for a planned mid-season premiere. The old series followed the Conner family, led by matriarch Roseanne (Roseanne Barr, “The Roseanne Show”) and her husband, Dan (John Goodman, “Treme”).
Along with Barr and Goodman, the rest of the series’ main actors are also slated to return for the revival, including Laurie Metcalf (“The Big Bang Theory”), Michael Fishman (“A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” 2001), Alicia Goranson (“Boys Don’t Cry,” 1999) and Sarah Chalke (“Scrubs”). Sara Gilbert, who is credited with spearheading the revival, is also slated to return, both as middle child Darlene and as an executive producer.
A few of those names are likely to turn some heads. Goodman’s Dan Conner was revealed to have died of a heart attack in the show’s much-maligned series finale, making his return a bit of a head-scratcher. Also, Goranson and Chalke both played oldest child Becky at different times in the show’s run; Goranson is reportedly returning to Becky’s shoes, while Chalke will step into a new role.
Revivals have been all the rage in recent TV seasons, and if this one achieves even a fraction of the success that “Roseanne” had in its heyday, it’ll be a pretty big hit.Watch for the revived “Roseanne” later in the 2017-18 TV season on ABC.
A new Pope: HBO is shaking up the Holy See again with a new series about a new Pope. 2016’s “The Young Pope” intrigued audiences and wowed critics, and the premium TV channel isn’t letting that kind of success stay dormant. A new limited series called, appropriately enough, “The New Pope,” has been announced, to be created and directed by “The Young Pope’s” Paolo Sorrentino.
Just like “The Young Pope” before it, “The New Pope” is a joint production between HBO and the U.K.’s Sky, and production will take place in Italy. No casting announcements have been made for the new series yet, but we do know it will be an entirely new series with a whole new cast.
“The Young Pope” starred Jude Law (“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” 2011) as the first-ever American Pope, a man who sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the Catholic faith. It also starred Diane Keaton (“The Godfather,” 1972), Scott Shepherd (“Jason Bourne,” 2016), James Cromwell (“Murder in the First”) and a bevy of respected Italian actors.
With casting ongoing and details about any plot non-existent, all that’s known for sure about “The New Pope” is that it has the same team behind it that made “The Young Pope” what it was.