Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Food for thought: FX’s ‘The Bear’ returns to Hulu
WHAT’S NEW ON HULU
“The Bear” - Season 2 Head on over to Hulu and pick up a sense of urgency to catch Season 2 of the critically acclaimed FX series “The Bear,” when it premieres Thursday, June 22. Centered on fine-dining chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, “Shameless”), the series began as he returned to Chicago to take over his late brother’s rundown sandwich shop and try to transform it into a next-level spot in the city. Now, Season 2 picks back up as Carmy, his sous chef, Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri, “Dickinson”), and his family friend and shop manager, Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Punisher”), strip the restaurant down to its bones and work to build it into something all their own, with a renewed focus on hospitality. As the crew at the shop undertake their own personal, transformational journeys, they grapple with juggling the “insane bureaucracy of permits and contractors with the beauty and creative agony of menu planning” (per FX). Molly Gordon (“Booksmart,” 2019) joins the cast this season, alongside returning stars Abby Elliott (“Saturday Night Live”), Lionel Boyce (“Loiter Squad”), Liza Colón-Zayas (“In Treatment”), Edwin Lee Gibson (“Unprisoned”), Corey Hendrix (“Fargo”), Jose M. Cervantes (“Shining Girls”), Richard Esteras (“Death Wish,” 2018), Oliver Platt (“Chicago Med”) and celebrity chef Matty Matheson (“It’s Suppertime!”).
WHAT’S NEW ON DISNEY+
“Secret Invasion” Buckle up for another super-powered adventure when the fight for planet Earth continues in Marvel’s new series, “Secret Invasion,” premiering Wednesday, June 21, on Disney+. Set in the present-day MCU (Phase 5), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, “Pulp Fiction,” 1994) learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Joining up with his allies — including Everett Ross (Martin Freeman, “Black Panther,” 2018), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders, “How I Met Your Mother”) and the Skrull Talos (Ben Mendelsohn, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” 2016), who has made a life for himself on Earth — Fury and the team race against time to thwart the imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity. Created by Kyle Bradstreet (“Mr. Robot”) and directed by Ali Selim (“In Treatment”), the series also stars Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”), Olivia Colman (“Great Expectations”), Carmen Ejogo (“Your Honor”), Christopher McDonald (“The Watcher”), Kingsley Ben-Adir (“The OA”) and Killian Scott (“Damnation”).
WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX
“Break Point” - Season 1, Part 2 Netflix’s all-access tennis documentary, “Break Point,” continues its first season with Part 2, available to stream Wednesday, June 21. The series follows some of the biggest names from the world of tennis as they compete in ATP, WTA and other international tournaments, from their intense training regimens to their grueling (often sweltering) Grand Slam runs. Cameras follow these top athletes as they experience triumph and tragedy, all while managing the demands of their everyday lives. Featuring a new generation of players as some of the sport’s greatest legends reach the twilight of their careers, viewers have the chance to get up close and personal with their favorite stars — including Felix Auger-Aliassime, Paula Badosa, Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud, Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Stefanos Tsitsipas — as they compete to be the best in the world. The series also features appearances from tennis legends John McEnroe, Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick. James Gay-Rees (“Amy,” 2015) and Paul Martin (“Formula 1: Drive to Survive”) act as executive producers.
WHAT’S NEW ON APPLE TV+
“Swagger” - Season 2 The acclaimed, emotional sports drama, “Swagger,” helmed by creator, showrunner and director Reggie Rock Bythewood (“Shots Fired”), returns to Apple TV+ with its second season Friday, June 23. Inspired by the real-life experiences of NBA superstar Kevin Durant, the series “explores the world of youth basketball and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption” (per Apple TV+). Season 2 follows Jace (newcomer Isaiah R. Hill), Phil (Soloman Irama, “Cop and a Half: New Recruit,” 2017), Nick (new talent Jason Rivera-Torres), Musa (Caleel Harris, “When They See Us”), Drew (James Bingham, “Busting Out the Bells,” 2018) and Royale (Ozie Nzeribe, “Shameless”) as they are entering their senior year of high school, with all but Phil attending Cedar Cove Prep, a predominantly white institution where wealthy board members control the entire operation, from the hiring of faculty to the enrollment of students. As the Swagger players bring new light to Cedar Cove’s previously underwhelming basketball program, their new success puts their every move under a microscope.
WHAT’S NEW ON PRIME VIDEO
“I’m a Virgo” - Season 1 Prime Video’s darkly comedic new series “I’m a Virgo” makes its premiere on the Amazon-owned streaming platform Friday, June 23. A fantastical, coming-of-age joyride, the series follows Cootie (Jharrel Jerome, “Moonlight,” 2016), a 13-foot-tall young Black man living in Oakland, California. After being hidden away for most of his life and growing up with only comic books and TV for company, Cootie escapes to experience everything the outside world has to offer. As he forms friendships, finds love and meets his idol, the series “is a mythical odyssey that questions the purpose of the mythical odyssey” (Per Prime Video). Directed and written by Boots Riley (“Sorry to Bother You,” 2018), “I’m a Virgo” is also written by Tze Chun (“Gotham”), Marcus Gardley (“The Chi”), first-time screenwriter Whitney White and composer and playwright Michael R. Jackson (Broadway’s “A Strange Loop”).
WHAT’S NEW ON MAX
“And Just Like That...” - Season 2 The “Sex and the City” ladies are back with more adventures into love, careers and friendships when Season 2 of “And Just Like That...” premieres its first two episodes on Max Thursday, June 22. The remaining nine episodes premiere weekly on Thursdays. The spinoff series follows Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker, “Hocus Pocus,” 1993), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon, “The Gilded Age”) and Charlotte (Kristen Davis, “Holiday in the Wild,” 2019) as they navigate the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s, with old and new love interests, children to raise and careers to manage. Season 2 also sees the return of Aidan Shaw (John Corbett, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” 2002), as well as series stars Sara Ramirez (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Sarita Choudhury (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2,” 2015), Nicole Ari Parker (“Empire”), Karen Pittman (“The Morning Show”), Mario Cantone (“Better Things”), David Eigenberg (“Chicago Fire”), Evan Handler (“Californication”), Christopher Jackson (“Hamilton,” 2020), Niall Cunningham (“Life in Pieces”), Cathy Ang (“My Best Friend’s Exorcism,” 2022) and Alexa Swinton (“Billions”).