Stars on Screen
So dramatic: It doesn’t take much for one’s world to get turned upside down. The death of a loved one, a shocking revelation about a family member or even a rapidly changing neighborhood can do it in a flash, but when all three of those influences happen at once, it’s definitely a recipe for some juicy storytelling.
Enter “Vida,” a bold new half-hour drama that premieres on Starz on Sunday, May 6. In a TV landscape dominated by hour-long dramas, the bite-sized pieces that the new series comes in could bring a breath of fresh air to a genre steeped in — well, drama.
Mishel Prada and Melissa Barrera lead the cast as a pair of estranged sisters brought back into each other’s life by their mother’s tragic death. Both actresses are relatively new faces: “The Walking Dead” fans may recognize the former as one of the stars of former web series “Fear the Walking Dead: Passage,” and Barrera’s credits include Mexican telenovellas “Siempre Tuya Acapulco” and “Tanto Amor.”
The two estranged sisters, returning to their childhood home on the east side of Los Angeles, find the world they once knew changing rapidly. Not only is their mother gone, but when they meet her longtime “roommate,” Eddy (Ser Anzoategui, “East Los High”), they discover that there was a side of their mom that they never even suspected.
Regal retrospective: With only days to go until what will no doubt be the most buzzed-about wedding in a long time, interest in former “Suits” star Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry is at an all-time high. Despite their distance across the Atlantic, many people on this side of the pond have a huge fascination with the Royal Family, and the fact that the Prince is marrying an American actress has fanned the flames of fandom to a fever pitch.
With all the scuttlebutt surrounding the wedding, Fox presents a very special two-hour event that takes an all-encompassing look at Markle’s life, from her earliest years growing up in Hollywood, to her successful acting career, to her fairy-tale romance and engagement. “Meghan Markle: An American Princess” airs Friday, May 11.
Of course, Royal watchers will be quick to point out that Markle will not actually bear the title of “princess,” what with the ways of royal titles being steeped in traditions and rules. Despite that, though, the special promises to be an in-depth look at who the bride-to-be really is, and features interviews with her half-sister Samantha Markle, the late Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell and broadcast journalist Piers Morgan, along with some of her former co-stars and childhood schoolmates.
By looking back at her childhood and her life before she met Harry, “Meghan Markle: An American Princess” attempts to understand the woman who caught the heart of the former bad boy of the Royal Family. Her retirement from acting to devote her life to charitable work only makes her an even more fascinating figure, and one who will no doubt remain in the public consciousness for many years to come.
“Meghan Markle: An American Princess” premieres Friday, May 11, on Fox.
Does compute: There’s no need to reboot the machine: USA’s critically acclaimed high-tech thriller has been renewed for another season, despite its declining ratings.
“Mr. Robot” will return at an undetermined date for a fourth season that deals with the fallout from season 3’s explosive finale, the network has announced. The series, which has earned two Golden Globes and two Emmys, stars Rami Malek (“Night at the Museum,” 2006) as Elliot, a hacker who was recruited by an activist organization in the first season, al-
though the rabbit hole that is the show’s plot has only gotten deeper.
Christian Slater (“Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” 1991) stars as the titular Mr. Robot, the mysterious figure who initially recruited Elliot and whose relationship with him has only gotten more complex — and far, far more interesting — over time.
The cast also includes Carly Chaikin (“Suburgatory”), Portia Doubleday (“Mr. Sunshine”) and Martin Wallström (“The Hundred Code”), and although details of season 4’s cast haven’t been made public yet, it’s a pretty good bet that their familiar faces will be gracing the new season.
“Mr. Robot” is a high-tech thriller with a psychological twist, and it’s got at least one more season left in it.