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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, April 13, 2018 18 Cable Conversion Chart O SB C NB GG N Dish DTV ABC WIVT Binghamton - 7 - - - 7 - - ABC WUTR Utica 7 - - - 10 - 20 20 CBS WBNG Binghamton 3 3 - 7 - - 12 - CBS WRGB Schenectady 26 - 6 3 - 2 - - CBS WTVH Syracuse - - - - 6 - - 5 CW WKTV2 Utica 11 - - - - - - 3 FOX WFXV Utica 9 9 - 11 - 11 33 33 FOX WICZ Binghamton 10 10 - 9 - - - - FOX WOLF Scranton - - - 10 - 10 - - FOX WXXA Albany - - 8 - - - - - IND WISF Oneonta 27 27 - - 8 - - - MNT WPNY Utica - - - 27 - - - - NBC WGBH Elmira - 2 - - - - - - NBC WKTV Utica 2 - - - - 17 2 2 NBC WNYT Albany - - 13 2 - - - - NBC WSTM Syracuse - - - - 13 - - - NBC WTEN Albany - - 10 - - 3 - - PBS WCNY Syracuse 12 12 - 12 - 12 - - PBS WMHT Schenectady - - 11 - 11 - - - PBS WSKG Binghamton 8 8 - 8 - 8 - - WGN Chicago 25 25 - - - - 239 307 ABC FAMILY 16 16 35 16 35 25 180 311 AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL 140 140 140 140 140 140 195 287 AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS 66 66 29 66 29 66 131 254 ANIMAL PLANET 67 67 132 67 132 67 184 282 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 42 42 38 42 38 42 118 265 BRAVO 29 29 59 29 59 29 129 237 CABLE NEWS NETWORK 15 15 46 15 46 24 200 202 CNN INTERNATIONAL - - 216 - 216 - - - CARTOON NETWORK 59 59 32 59 32 59 176 296 CINEMAX 531 531 531 531 531 531 310 515 CINEMAX 2 (MOREMAX) 532 532 532 532 532 532 312 517 CNBC 39 39 48 39 48 39 208 355 COMEDY CENTRAL 32 32 36 32 36 32 107 249 COUNTRY MUSIC TELEVISION 30 30 293 30 293 30 166 327 CSPAN 47 47 14 47 14 18 210 350 CSPAN2 226 226 226 226 226 226 211 351 DISCOVERY CHANNEL 41 41 37 41 37 41 182 278 DISCOVERY LIFE 70 70 180 70 180 70 - 261 DISNEY CHANNEL 51 51 34 51 34 51 172 290 E! 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Taylor TV Media S weating palms, heart rac- ing, lips quivering — in a hostage situation, wheth- er you're the victim, the hos- tage taker or the negotiator, all three symptoms could ap- ply to you at any time. Solid writing can evoke such senso- ry reactions even through tele- vision and computer screens, which may well explain the success of one of CBS's latest crime dramas. There are count- less reasons why one might be held for "Ransom," and the latest is explored Saturday, April 14, with the show's sec- ond episode of its sophomore season. While the initial vibe of a crime drama might conjure up notions of whodunnits, what sets "Ransom" vastly apart from its fellows is the motiva- tions of the Crisis Resolution team and where it places its priorities. Veering away from rigid binaries, the series dwells in a grey space, where the need to save the hostage reigns primary and catching the criminal submits to a sec- ondary position. Crisis Resolu- tion is led by highly observant and clever negotiator Eric Beaumont (Luke Roberts, "Black Sails"). Although the prominent and obvious lead of the series, Eric relies heavily on his entire team to successfully assess each ransom situation. His success depends on team members such as Zara Hallam (Nazneen Contractor, "The Border"), an ex-cop who knows her way around policy and procedure, including where the rules can be bent and broken, should such a sit- uation arise. Alongside Zara and Eric is Oliver Yates (Bran- don Jay McLaren, "Grace- land"), a psychological profiler whose skills often bleed out into his observations of co- workers, though largely from a place of care and compassion. Rounding off the team is the now slightly more sea- soned newbie, Maxine Carl- son (Sarah Greene, "Penny Dreadful"), an up-and-com- ing negotiator under Eric's tu- telage. It's established right from the start of the series that there's a history between Maxine and Eric, though it's not quite what you'd expect. It also acts as the main moti- vation for Maxine's own jour- ney into the world of hostage negotiation. At the conclusion of the show's first season (spoilers coming up), the past that links Eric and Maxine came full to the fore. The killer of Maxine's mother, Damian Delaine (Car- lo Rota, "Jane the Virgin"), is on parole, which conveniently coincides with a national — potentially even international — threat. After Maxine ad- mits to having contact with Damian, Eric opens up about the true nature of her mother's death and Delaine's twisted desire for martyrdom. A mo- ment of catharsis is quickly halted, however, when Eric re- ceives some terrifying news about his own family. Season 2 picks up right where the first concluded, with Eric and the Crisis Reso- lution team struggling to find the balance between resolv- ing personal, immediate crisis situations and those of poten- tial clients and agencies in need. Crisis Resolution is stronger than ever before, but no doubt its members' dedica- tion to the team — and each other — will be tested as this new season progresses. "Ransom" boasts some unique origins. The series was developed initially by four dif- ferent broadcasting corpora- tions from four different coun- tries: the U.S., Canada, France and Germany. Though Germa- ny's involvement has since wavered, the fact that these nations all saw the potential for the series and found them- selves drawn to investing in its development speaks volumes for the ingenuity of its subject matter and the freshness with which the hostage narrative is approached. The international involvement is also visible on- screen, as the series has been filmed in Toronto, Canada, and Nice, France, with season 2 adding Budapest, Hungary, to the mix. The key international ele- ment of the series, however, comes from the source that in- spired it: famed hostage nego- tiator Laurent Combalbert. Combalbert's own path has some clear influence in the se- ries, in particular his drive to start up his own global com- pany, the Agency of Dedicated Negotiators (ADN) in 2013. While no longer active in the field, Combalbert dedicates his time as a speaker and trainer, hoping to inspire fu- ture negotiators and to help the field flourish and grow as technological advancements arise, whether in high crisis sit- uations involving life or death, or merely within the board- room. Perhaps it is this unique, renowned influence that has helped showrunners and writ- ers to craft a more honest nar- rative, compelling CBS and the series' legion of fans to clamor for a second season. The high-tension chaos evoked by scenes of hostage negotiation is at once terrify- ing and exhilarating, so long as one remains an observer and not a participant. "Ran- som" brings viewers as close as it can to living and breath- ing such a traumatic experi- ence, by presenting a vast ar- ray of hostage and negotia- tion scenarios without placing too much emphasis on those doing the negotiating over those whose lives or liveli- hoods hang in the balance. With complex characters, unexpected plot twists and plenty of stressful situations, this series is definitely worth an hour a week of your time. Prepare to hold your Saturday evening hostage by demand- ing to watch the next episode of "Ransom," airing Saturday, April 14, on CBS. 'Ransom' returns for a second season Featurestory

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