Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
New ‘Crown’ in town: Staunton leads Season 5 of Netflix’s monarchy series
WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX “The Crown” - Season 5
The monarchy moves into a new decade with Season 5 of Netflix’s hit series “The Crown,” premiering Wednesday, Nov. 9. Following the life of Queen Elizabeth II — who died in September of this year and who holds the title of longest-reigning monarch in British history — “The Crown” looks at the world events, family drama and personal affairs of the Royal Family throughout her reign. As the new season moves the Royal Family into the 1990s and Queen Elizabeth, now played by Imelda Staunton (“Vera Drake,” 2004), approaches the 40th anniversary of her accession, they face an enormous new challenge as the British public begins to openly question their role. Meanwhile, the world faces the collapse of the Soviet Union, Prince Charles (Dominic West, “The Wire”) and Princess Diana’s (Elizabeth Debicki, “Tenet,” 2020) marriage unravels and Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al Fayed (Salim Daw, “Fauda”) hunts for a seat at the royal table. Created by Peter Morgan, the series’ newest season also stars Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes,” 2019) as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; Lesley Manville (“Phantom Thread,” 2017) as Princess Margaret; new talent Senan West as Prince William; Jonny Lee Miller (“Elementary”) as John Major; and Claudia Harrison (“Humans”) as Princess Anne.
WHAT’S NEW ON PRIME
“The English” - Season 1 Writer/director Hugo Blick (“The Honorable Woman”) returns to tell another epic tale in Prime’s new Western series, “The English,” premiering Friday, Nov. 11, on the Amazon streamer. Coming together in Middle America in 1890, aristocratic Englishwoman Lady Cornelia Locke (Emily Bunt, “A Quiet Place,” 2018) and Pawnee excavalry scout Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” 2009) embark on a journey through a violent landscape to reach their ultimate destination: the new town of Hoxem, Wyoming. While Lady Cornelia is on a revenge mission against the man she holds responsible for the death of her son, an unexpected, shared history with Eli raises the stakes of their journey to new heights. Executive produced by Blick, Blunt, Greg Brenman (“Billy Elliot,” 2000) and Mona Qureshi (“Call the Midwife”), the series also stars Ciarán Hinds (“Belfast,” 2021), Rafe Spall (“The Big Short,” 2015), Toby Jones (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” 2011), Sule Rimi (“Andor”), Tom Hughes (“Victoria”), Stephen Rea (“V for Vendetta,” 2005), Valerie Pachner (“A Hidden Life,” 2019), Malcolm Storry (“The Princess Bride,” 1987), Nicholas Aaron (“Band of Brothers”), Miguel Alvarez (“The Wheel of Time”), Steve Wall (“Vikings”) and Nichola McAuliffe (“Surgical Spirit”).
“Mammals”
Explore the dark side of a relationship gone wrong in the highly anticipated new six-part series “Mammals,” premiering Friday, Nov. 11, on Prime. While on a romantic getaway with his pregnant wife, Amandine (Melia Kreilling, “Salvation”), Michelin star chef Jamie’s (James Corden, “Into the Woods,” 2014) world crumbles around him when he discovers shocking secrets about the woman he married. Embarking on a desperate hunt for answers with his brother-inlaw, Jeff (Colin Morgan, “Belfast,” 2021), Jamie and Jeff stumble upon cracks in Jeff’s own marriage to Jamie’s sister, Lue (Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water,” 2017). When the consequences of all of their actions come to light, the truth rocks both families. A comedic drama about the complexities of marriage, “Mammals” is a story woven by “sadness, grief, tension, love, friendship, betrayal and a touch of magical realism” (per Prime). Created by James Richardson (“Britannia”) and written by Richardson and Jez Butterworth (“Ford v Ferrari,” 2019), “Mammals” is directed by Stephanie Laing (“Physical”). Naoko Mori (“Everest,” 2015), Rasmus Hardiker (“Danger Mouse”), Isla Gie (“The Outlaws”), Nina Toussaint-White (“The Sister”), Henry LloydHughes (“Ragdoll”) and Karl Johnson (“Mum”) also star.
WHAT’S NEW ON APPLE TV+ “Circuit Breakers”
Explore everyday conundrums with out-of-the-box solutions in the new family anthology series “Circuit Breakers,” premiering Friday, Nov. 11, on Apple TV+. A half-hour, futuristic series, “Circuit Breakers” tackles issues relatable to children through an exploratory sci-fi lens. But not everything is as it seems, and the kids’ curiosity often leads to chaos as they learn to work through the problems around them. Featuring a rotating cast, series stars include Arielle Halili (“Less Than Kosher”), Veda Cienfuegos (“Undone”), Lindsay Owen Pierre (“Good Witch”), Callan Farris (“Gabby Duran & The Unsittables”), Kate Moyer (“Holly Hobbie”), James Goldman (“Two Sentence Horror Stories”), Gavin MacIver-Wright (“Odd Squad”), Quincy Kirkwood (“Y: The Last Man”), Dylan Schombing (“Watchmen”), Nathan Buescher (“100 Days to Live,” 2019) and new talent Sheriauna Haase. Created by Melody Fox (“R.L. Stine’s the Haunting Hour”), series episodes are directed by Matthew Hastings (“Spinning Out”), Annie Bradley (“In the Dark”), Romeo Candido (“Second Jen”), Farhad Mann (“Murdoch Mysteries”), Samir Rehem (“Chucky”) and Wendy Morgan (“Backstage”).
WHAT’S NEW ON DISNEY+ “Zootopia+”
Take a peek into the lives of some of Metropolis’s favorite critters when the new, six-episode series “Zootopia+” premieres Wednesday, Nov. 9, on Disney+. Set during the events of the hit CGI animated movie “Zootopia” (2016), the series dives deeper into the lives of some of the film’s most intriguing characters, including Fru Fru (Leah Latham, “Big Hero 6,” 2014), the newly married arctic shrew; Flash the sloth (Raymond S. Persi, “Wreck-It Ralph,” 2012); some of Gazelle’s (pop singer Shakira, known for the 2006 hit “Hips Don’t Lie”) talented tiger dancers; Officer Clawhauser (Nate Torrence, “The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee,” 2020), the greedy cheetah; and more. Written and directed by Trent Correy (“Once Upon a Snowman,” 2020) and Josie Trinidad (“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” 2018), “Zootopia+” also voice stars Idris Elba (“Beast,” 2022) as Bogo, Kristen Bell (“The Good Place”) as Priscilla, Ginnifer Goodwin (“Pivoting”) as Judy Hopps, Alan Tudyk (“Resident Alien”) as Duke Weaselton, Bonnie Hunt (“Jumanji,” 1995) as Bonnie Hopps, Maurice LaMarche (“Futurama”) as Mr. Big, Tommy Chong (“That ‘70s Show”) as Yax and Don Lake (“Space Force”) as Stu Hopps.