What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! April 21 - 27, 2019 BY FRANCIS BABIN TV Media W e are currently living in the era of superheroes — whether on the big or small screen, they are unavoidable. It seems like every month a new series or film is released featuring a costumed protagonist using his or her superhuman powers to save the day. Even if there are many interesting stories being told (see last year's "Spi- der-Man: Into the Spider- Verse"), it's easy to see how someone can be afflicted by a bad case of superhero fatigue. How many times can we watch Bruce Wayne become Batman? We may complain about the abundance of superhero sagas, but somehow we are still drawn to them. Some tales are just compelling, they speak to us. It's why Superman, Robin Hood, Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, Jean Valjean and oth- er famous literary characters will never truly go away. The characters and myths are fas- cinating, timeless and, in the hands of creative people, can be perpetually reinvented. On Sunday, April 21, "Les Misérables" is back with a new episode on PBS. First pub- lished in 1862, Victor Hugo's magnum opus has since been adapted into multiple lan- guages in numerous mediums, including dozens of films. PBS's new miniseries marks the novel's return to English television for the first time since 2000 (it has been adapt- ed into Vietnamese and Span- ish in the interim, with an up- coming Japanese version on the way). Dominic West ("The Af- fair") takes a break from play- ing slimy, unlikable characters to portray the ex-convict Jean Valjean. After serving a brutal prison sentence for stealing bread in order to feed his sis- ter's children, Valjean strug- gles for redemption and tries to lead a normal life during a tumultuous time in French history. Along with West, David Oy- elowo ("Selma," 2014) stars as Javert, the scene-stealing po- Dominic West stars in "Les Misérables" Dream a dream continued on page T10 TV FEATURE