Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The future of dating: ‘Maggie’ looks ahead at love on Hulu
WHAT’S NEW ON HULU “Maggie” - Season 1
Reality is even stranger than it seems in the new comedy series “Maggie,” premiering Wednesday, July 6, on Hulu. The series stars Rebecca Rittenhouse (“Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood,” 2018) as Maggie, a young woman navigating her way through the trials of modern dating. However, her search for love is made all the more difficult by the fact that Maggie is psychic. While her gift has always allowed her to see into the future of her loved ones, clients and even strangers on the street, she’s never been able to see anything about her own future. Until, that is, she meets an unexpected stranger, and her complicated life takes another difficult turn when she begins to see glimpses of her own destiny. Now Maggie must decide if she can let herself fall in love when she thinks she knows how it ends. Based on the 2019 short film of the same name by Tim Curcio (“Old Friends”), “Maggie” is created by Justin Adler and Maggie Mull (both of “Life in Pieces) and features direction by Natalia Anderson (“Life in Pieces”) and Jaffar Mahmood (“Young Sheldon”). The series also stars David Del Rio (“Pitch Perfect,” 2012), Nichole Sakura (“Superstore”), Leonardo Nam (“Westworld”), Angelique Cabral (“Life in Pieces”), Ray Ford (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Chloe Bridges (“The Carrie Diaries”), Kerri Kenney (“Reno 911!”), Kyle Kittredge (“The League of Legend Keepers: Shadows,” 2019) and Chris Elliott (“Schitt’s Creek”).
WHAT’S NEW ON APPLE TV+ “Black Bird”
Dig into an exciting, new true crime story when the six-episode miniseries “Black Bird” premieres its first two episodes Friday, July 8, on Apple TV+. The remaining four episodes release weekly on Fridays thereafter. Based on the true crime memoir “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption,” by James “Jimmy” Keene and Hillel Levin, the series follows Jimmy’s (played in the series by Taron Egerton, “Rocketman,” 2019) journey from high school football hero and son of a decorated policeman to convicted drug dealer. Sentenced to 10 years in a minimum-security prison, Jimmy is faced with a choice that will make or break his life: enter a maximum-security prison and befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser, “I, Tonya,” 2017) or stay where he is and serve his full sentence with no chance of parole. Taking on the challenge of attempting to befriend Hall, Jimmy tries to elicit a confession and learn where Hall hid his victims’ bodies before the killer’s appeal. First, however, Jimmy must determine if Hall is telling the truth about his innocence or if he’s simply another criminal spinning an elaborate tale. Developed and written for the screen by author Dennis Lehane (“Mystic River,” 2003), the series is directed by Michaël R. Roskam (“The Drop,” 2014), Joe Chappelle (“Godfather of Harlem”) and Jim McKay (“Everyday People,” 2004). Ray Liotta (“The Many Saints of Newark,” 2021), Greg Kinnear (“As Good as It Gets,” 1997), Sepideh Moafi (“The Deuce”), Robert Diago DoQui (“Hatchet III,” 2013), Joe Williamson (“Here and Now”) and Alexander Babara (“The Card Counter,” 2021) also star in the series.
WHAT’S NEW ON AMC+ “Moonhaven” - Season 1
Sit at the edge of your seat for the new suspense thriller series “Moonhaven,” premiering its first two episodes on AMC+ Thursday, July 7, with episodes airing weekly on Thursdays thereafter. Set 100 years in the future, the series follows lunar cargo pilot and smuggler Bella Sway (Emma McDonald, “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” 2021) as she finds herself accused of a crime and subsequently marooned in the utopian community of Moonhaven, a 500-squaremile “Garden of Eden” built on the moon and designed to find solutions to the problems that will soon wipe humankind from the face of the Earth. Highly skeptical of her “perfect” surroundings and sucked into a conspiracy bigger than she could have imagined, Bella teams up with a local detective (Dominic Monaghan, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2001) to stop the forces that want to destroy Earth’s last hope for survival. From creator and showrunner Peter Ocko (“Lodge 29”), the six-episode series is directed by “Blow the Man Down’s” (2019) Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy. “Moonhaven” also stars Amara Karan (“The Darjeeling Limited,” 2007), Ayelet Zurer (“Losing Alice”), Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”), Kadeem Hardison (“A Different World”), Chloe Harris (“Who We Love,” 2021), Yazzmin Newell (“The Last Tree,” 2019), Nina Barker-Francis (“House of the Dragon”) and Hoji Fortuna (“Viva Riva!,” 2010).
WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX “The Sea Beast” (2022)
Set sail for fun with the new CGanimated children’s adventure film “The Sea Beast,” making waves on Netflix Friday, July 8. At a time when formidable beasts and terrifying creatures terrorized the shores, no boat was safe in the water. Monster hunters were revered as heroes, and none more so than valiant sea captain Jacob Holland (Karl Urban, “Star Trek,” 2009). But now, as the monsters lurk deeper away from the land, taking down the sea’s biggest and most terrifying creatures requires bigger, bolder adventures, so brave, young and curious Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator, “The Midnight Gang, 2018) is determined to work alongside her hero, Jacob, and stows away on his fabled hunting ship. While at first reluctant to take on his unexpected visitor, Jacob finds himself in the company of an unexpected ally as he and his crew journey into uncharted waters for a history-making adventure. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Chris Williams (“Big Hero 6,” 2014) and written by Williams and Nell Benjamin (“Legally Blonde: The Musical,” 2007), “The Sea Beast” is executive produced by Melissa Cobb (“Kung Fu Panda,” 2008) and Christian Hejnal (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” 2018). Jared Harris (“Mad Men”), Dan Stevens (“Gaslit”), Kathy Burke (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” 2011), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Without a Trace”), Baraka May (“Centaurworld”), Kaya McLean (“Rumble,” 2021) and Benjamin Plessala (“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,” 2020) also voice star in the film.