Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Playing the field: Rodriguez, Ellis lead romantic comedy ‘Players’
WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX “Players” (2024)
Get back in the game with the new romcom “Players,” making its debut Wednesday, Feb. 14, on Netflix. For years, New York sportswriter Mack (Gina Rodriguez, “Jane the Virgin”), her friend Adam (Damon Wayans Jr., “Happy Endings”) and their crew have been crafting a roster of successful ‘plays’ to land hookups. While their plays have led to countless one-night stands for the group over the years, their playbook comes with a strict set of rules — most importantly, that you can’t build a relationship from a play. So, when Mack unexpectedly falls for one of her latest targets, a charming war correspondent named Nick (Tom Ellis, “Lucifer”), she begins to question the game and is forced to learn what it truly means to play for keeps. Directed by Trish Sie (“Sitting in Bars With Cake,” 2023) and written by Whit Anderson (“Daredevil”), “Players” also stars Joel Courtney (“Jesus Revolution,” 2023), Augustus Prew (“The Morning Show”), Liza Koshy (“Liza on Demand”), Ego Nwodim (“Saturday Night Live”) and Marin Hinkle (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”).
WHAT’S NEW ON HULU “Life & Beth” - Season 2
Amy Schumer (“Trainwreck,” 2015) brings hilarity to introspection in the comedy drama series “Life & Beth,” premiering its second season Friday, Feb. 16, on Hulu. After a life-altering incident, New York City wine distributor Beth (Schumer) starts having flashbacks to her life as a teen. From these flashbacks, Beth learns more about how she came to be, who she is and who she wants to become in the future, while she works towards building a better, more authentic life for herself. This season, as Beth and John’s (Michael Cera, “Arrested Development”) relationship grows more serious and she begins to look at the possibility of marriage and a family, Beth begins to examine her own fears and her traumatic history with relationships. Created, executive produced, directed and written by Schumer, the series is also executive produced by Ryan McFaul (“Crashing”), Kevin Kane (“The Irishman,” 2019) and Daniel Powell (“I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson”). Kane, Yamaneika Saunders (“In Security”), Michael Rapaport (“Atypical”), Susannah Flood (“For the People”), Laura Benanti (“Younger”), Lavar Walker (“Uncle Drew,” 2018), Sas Goldberg (“American Princess”), Arielle Siegel (“Inside Amy Schumer”) and Camiel Warren-Taylor (“Life,” 2017) also star in the series.
WHAT’S NEW ON PRIME VIDEO “Five Blind Dates” (2024)
Get lucky in love with the new Australian rom-com “Five Blind Dates,” when it premieres Tuesday, Feb. 13, on Prime Video. Unlucky in love and struggling to keep her traditional Chinese tea shop afloat, Lia (Shuang Hu, “The Family Law”) finds life rubbing it in even more when she visits her family in her hometown for her sister Alice’s (Tiffany Wong, “Roller Coaster Testers”) engagement festivities. Gifted with the unwelcome prophecy that she will meet her suitor in her next five dates, and that her love life is closely intertwined with her tea shop, Lia reluctantly agrees to be set up with five different men. With her best friend, Mason (Ilai Swindells, “Bay of Fires”), by her side, Lia sets out to save her shop and (maybe) find love, and herself, along the way. Directed by Shawn Seet (“Underbelly”) and written by Hu and Nathan Ramos-Park (“Ero,” 2021), the cast also includes Yoson An (“Mulan,” 2020), Jon Prasida (“Kung Fu”), Desmond Chiam (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”), Renee Lim (“Please Like Me”), Tzi Ma (“Arrival,” 2016) and Rob Collins (“RFDS”).
WHAT’S NEW ON AMC+ “Far North” - Season 1
Based on a true story, the Sundance Now original series “Far North” debuts its first two episodes Thursday, Feb. 15, on both Sundance Now and AMC+, with new episodes streaming weekly on Thursdays. Across its six-episode run, this comedy drama tells the (mostly) true story of Maori diesel mechanic Ed (Temuera Morrison, “The Mandalorian”) and his wife, Heather (Robyn Malcolm, “Outrageous Fortune”), an ordinary couple who lead a quiet life in New Zealand’s far north. When a TonganAustralian gang’s attempt to get half a billion dollars’ worth of meth to New Zealand’s shores goes sideways, they’re left stranded with their drugs and unwittingly pull Ed and Heather into their desperate attempt to salvage their payday. Amid the increasingly absurd situation, Ed and Heather navigate treacherous waters, hoping to both thwart the gang and survive the ludicrous ordeal. From creator, writer, director, executive producer and showrunner David White (“This Town,” 2020), the series also stars Fay Tofilau (“Beyond the Veil”), Mosa Alipate Latailakepa (“Wellington Paranormal”), Villa Junior Lemanu (“Sharkdog”), Maaka Pohatu (“Wellington Paranormal”), John Paul Foliaki (“Red, White & Brass,” 2023), Albert Mateni (“Brutal Lives - Mo’ui Faingata’a”), Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi (“The Panthers”), Fei Li (“Island of Yesterday”), Dennis Zhang (“Buzz Cut,” 2021), Xiao Hu (“Hu Die Lan”), Xana Tang (“Mulan,” 2020), Louise Jiang (“Homebound 3.0”) and Nikita Tu-Bryant (“Avatar: The Way of Water,” 2022).
WHAT’S NEW ON PEACOCK “Vigil” - Season 2
Diving into an all-new mystery, the BBC One series “Vigil” premieres its second season Thursday, Feb. 15, on Peacock, with all six episodes available and ready to binge. After taking on a harrowing case onboard a Trident nuclear submarine in the first season, DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones, “Scott & Bailey”) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie, “Game of Thrones”) are right back to work with a strange new case. After multiple unexplained fatalities take place at a Scottish military facility, Silva and Longacre are tasked with finding the cause. “Entering the hostile and closed ranks of the air force, the pair must face the deadly warfare of tomorrow as they fight for their own future” (per Peacock). From creator, writer and executive producer Tom Edge (“C.B. Strike”), the series also stars Gary Lewis (“Billy Elliot,” 2000), Dougray Scott (“Crime”), Romola Garai (“Atonement,” 2007), Amir El-Masry (“Rogue Heroes”), David Elliot (“Crime”), Oscar Salem (“House of the Dragon”), Chris Jenks (“Sex Education”), Jonathan Ajayi (“The Drifters,” 2019), Steven Elder (“The Winter King”), Khalid Laith (“Deep State”) and Alastair Mackenzie (“Andor”).