What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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January 19 - 25, 2020 WHATS UP! T5 BY MICHELLE ROSE TV Media We have lift-off: NASA has big plans for the new decade, in- cluding a return trip to the moon (the last moon landing was in 1972) with an eye toward a mis- sion to Mars. But if this week is any indication, the 2020s may prove to be a big decade for space on small screens, too. While all sci-loving eyes are on Patrick Stewart and streamer CBS All Access this week — "Star Trek: Picard" debuts Thursday, Jan. 23 — HBO is also shooting for the stars but is aim- ing for laughter with its new space-themed series. "Avenue 5" premieres Sunday, Jan. 19. The series is set a few de- cades from now, when space tourism has taken off and fol- lowing an unprecedented era of space exploration. This one is more satire than sci-fi — think "Star Trek" meets "The Love Boat," with hints of "Veep." The action largely takes place on the titular cruise ship. And if the dialogue and humor remind you of the Julia Louis- Dreyfus comedy, there's a good reason: former "Veep" showrun- ner Armando Iannucci is at the helm of "Avenue 5" off screen, while Hugh Laurie, who had a recurring guest role on "Veep," is at the helm on screen. Laurie is best known for por- traying the cantankerous title character on the Fox medical drama, "House, M.D." But his lengthy filmography provides ample proof of comedic chops that were honed (or suitably showcased) on classic Britcoms such as "Blackadder" and "Jeeves and Wooster," to name a few. The actor stars as Ryan Clark, the captain of the luxury space cruise ship, which quickly expe- riences technical difficulties during its voyage. Clark and the rest of the staff — including Zach Woods ("The Office") as the head of customer relations — struggle to keep passengers calm. Add an out-of-touch bil- lionaire (Josh Gad, better known to parents as the voice of Olaf in the "Frozen" movies), and a boozy former astronaut (Ethan Phillips, aka Neelix in "Star Trek: Voyager"), and the situation is ripe with chaos and (hopefully) comedy. Gadot's TV gigs: Can't get enough of that "Wonder Woman 1984" trailer? Currently in post- production, the film is due out in theaters on June 5. In the mean- time, Wonder Woman herself, actress Gal Gadot, has been busy lining up future TV projects. Gadot is teaming up with En- demol Shine to remake the crime drama "Queens." The original series is the story of the women of the Malka family, who are forced to run the family busi- ness after a rival crime syndicate takes down all the men in their family. The series was a big hit in Gadot's native Israel, where it's known as "Malkot," and a sec- ond season will air this year. The U.S. adaptation is still in the con- cept stage, so no word yet on its future home or a possible pre- miere date. But it's a joint project between Endemol Shine and Gadot's production company, Pilot Wave, which she formed earlier last year with her produc- ing partner and husband, Jaron Varsano. Both spouses will serve as executive producers. Another TV project may not have a premiere date (or even a title), either, but it does have a home: Gadot has signed on to star in and produce a Showtime limited series about Hedy La- marr ("Samson and Delilah," 1949). Gadot will star as the Austri- an-born Hollywood icon. La- marr was also a brilliant inven- tor — she helped pioneer tech- nology that still plays a part in the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices of today. Sarah Treem, co-cre- ator of "The Affair," will serve as writer and executive producer, along with Warren Littlefield ("The Handmaid's Tale"), Katie Robbins ("The Last Tycoon"), and, of course, Varsano. Richie recurring: ABC's "Bless This Mess" is the story of a New York City couple who moved to a Nebraska farm with- out any prior farming experi- ence or knowledge. And that "fish out of water" concept probably sounds famil- iar to Nicole Richie, whose "rich socialite on the farm" antics in "The Simple Life" made her a household name in the early to mid aughts. Today, Richie is a busy fashion designer, author, mom and pro- ducer whose acting credits in- clude a series regular role on NBC's "Great News." But next month, she'll be adding to her re- sume with a recurring guest spot on "Bless This Mess." In a multi-episode arc, Richie will play Rio's (Lake Bell, "Chil- drens Hospital") NYC bestie, who "would probably tell you she's from Brooklyn, but she's a spoiled Upper-East-Sider through and through" (as re- ported by Deadline). Richie's character is looking to get mar- ried at Mike (Dax Shepard, "The Ranch") and Rio's farm, which is described as "super rustic, kind of gross." Last spring, it was announced that Richie had been cast as a se- ries regular in "Richard Lovely" opposite "Seinfeld" alum Jason Alexander and "Just Shoot Me's" Wendie Mallick. Fox has since passed on the comedy pilot, but it looks like Richie will next ap- pear on streaming services in 2020. ACQUIRE AGRICOLA BLOKUS CASTLE PANIC CATAN CHECKERS CHESS CLANK! CLUE CRANIUM DIXIT GUESS WHO? INDIGO JENGA KHET KILL DOCTOR LUCKY MAHJONG MONOPOLY PARCHEESI PAY DAY QWIRKLE RISK SCRABBLE SEVEN WONDERS STRATEGO TABOO TROUBLE UNO UPWORDS WINGSPAN YAHTZEE Board Game Night Hugh Laurie stars in "Avenue 5" WORD SEARCH STARS ON SCREEN Solution on page T23