Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
STARS ON SCREEN
Back to school: Look out ‘80s kids, and even ‘80s kids at heart. A new trio of Heathers has arrived for a new generation, and these ones are just as mean as the old batch was.
The 1989 black comedy “Heathers,” starring Winona Ryder (“Stranger Things”) and Christian Slater (“Mr. Robot”), was a bleakly humorous look at the lives of teenagers in a high shool run by a clique of popular girls, all but one of whom were named Heather. Talks of a sequel, reboot or TV adaptation of the cult classic have been swirling around for years, and those rumors have finally come to fruition.
“Heathers” premieres on Paramount Network on Wednesday, March 7, with a modern take on the story of a pair of disillusioned teenagers killing their peers and making the murders look like suicides. For this TV adaptation, “Under the Dome’s” Grace Victoria Cox stars as Veronica, the only member of the Heathers not named, well, Heather, the role that was played by Ryder in the original film. James Scully (“Quantico”) has the role of her bad-boy boyfriend JD, originally played by Slater.
It’s with the three Heathers themselves that the new series really diverges from the source material. Here, the three teenagers are examples of a time that’s more accepting of diversity than the 1989 of the film. The ruling posse is itself ruled by Heather Chandler (Melanie Field, “The Tap”), a plus-sized girl who’s backed up by gender queer Heather Duke (Brendan Scannell, “Kill Game,” 2017) and black student Heather McNamara (Jasmine Mathews, “Blue Bloods”) — a huge change from the three white, thin and blond Heathers of the original.
These aren’t the same old Heathers and this isn’t the same old “Heathers.” The new black comedy premieres Wednesday, March 7, on Paramount Network.
Big little casting: What’s a show to do when its first season was already so stellar and so critically acclaimed that it earned an incredible 16 Emmy nominations and won eight of them? How can that sort of momentum possibly be maintained? Well, casting a multiple Academy Award winner is definitely one way to keep up the buzz.
Acclaimed actress Meryl Streep (“The Post,” 2017) has joined the cast of HBO’s “Big Little Lies” for its second season, adding further star power to a series that wasn’t exactly lacking it. The series, which is based on a book of the same name by Liane Moriarty, was originally intended as a one-off miniseries, so it’s not surprising that production on a second season is still in its early stages, with no plans for a premiere any time this year.
Nicole Kidman (“Moulin Rouge!,” 2001) and Reese Witherspoon (“Legally Blonde,” 2001) are also confirmed to be returning for the second season, and it’s a good bet that the other leading ladies — Laura Dern (“Jurassic Park,” 1993), Zoë Kravitz (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” 2015) and Shailene Woodley (“Divergent,” 2014) — will be, too.
Streep will play Perry’s (Alexander Skarsgård, “True Blood”) mother, who comes to town to help look after her grandchildren following her son’s untimely death in the first season — a presence that isn’t exactly welcome, especially when she starts looking into the circumstances surrounding Perry’s demise and asking a few too many questions.
“Big Little Lies” was one of 2017’s most acclaimed series, and its second season will have even more star power than its first. No premiere date is yet attached for the return of the HBO drama.
The ‘Babies’ are back: A beloved children’s cartoon is returning after more than 25 years off the air, and fans both old and new don’t have to wait very long for it. Disney Junior has brought back “Muppet Babies,” with a planned premiere date sometime this month.
The original cartoon, which featured Jim Henson’s famous Muppets as toddlers growing up together in a nursery, ran from 1984 to 1991 and charmed audiences with its childlike innocence and humor.
The new series follows a similar premise, but uses CGI animation and includes an all-new muppet created especially for the series: a penguin with an artistic flair named Summer, who’s voiced by accomplished voice actress Jessica DiCicco (“The Loud House”).
Of course, fans of the older Emmy-winning series will remember the tykes’ caretaker, Miss Nanny. In keeping with tradition, Miss Nanny is only ever shown from the torso down, and for the reboot, Jenny Slate (“Zootopia,” 2016), a lifelong Muppets fan, has been cast to be her voice. Dee Bradley Baker (“Phineas and Ferb”), Eric Bauza (“Transformers: Robots in Disguise”), Melanie Harrison (“Fish Hooks”) and Matt Danner (“Johnny Test”) also lend their vocal talents as pint-sized versions of the classic muppets.
The original “Muppet Babies” was a critical darling and much loved by children and adults alike, and time will tell if its predecessor attracts as much love.