STARS ON SCREEN
Anyone who’s ever read or watched science fiction knows the first rule of time travel: don’t muck around in the past, lest your actions mess up the present. Unfortunately, Dan Chambers seems to have missed that memo.
Adam Pally (“The Mindy Project”) stars in “Making History,” the new time-travel-meetsromantic-comedy series that premieres Sunday, March 5, on Fox. Pally’s Dan Chambers is an unpopular computer science professor whose invention of time travel presents him with the perfect opportunity to improve his love life: a whole time line full of women who have never heard his cheesy romantic movie quotes or song lyrics before.
Leighton Meester (“Gossip Girl”) stars as the American Revolution-era gal that Dan falls for, the beautiful and sensual Deborah. She finds him charming, handsome and funny — words no woman has ever used to describe him in his own time — but, like so many young romances, things get complicated when her father decides to butt in.
Unfortunately, her dad happens to be American patriot Paul Revere (Matt Serritto, “The Sopranos”), and Dan’s adventures in the past cause the hero to put his famous ride on hold, potentially altering the course of the revolution.
Yassir Lester (“Girls”) also stars as Dan’s colleague, Chris, a suave and popular history professor whom Dan recruits to help set time right. Together, the three of them jump between past and present as they try to fix up the damage they’ve done to history and save America as we know it.
Created by longtime “The Late Late Show” writer Julius Sharpe, “Making History’s” debut season was recently scaled back to just nine episodes to make room in Fox’s alreadypacked schedule.
There’s a lot of laughs, a fair bit of romance and a whole bunch of time travel shenanigans in “Making History,” which premieres Sunday, March 5, on Fox.
Time travel shows are “in,” it seems. Fox has “Making History” premiering this week, and, on the very same night, ABC is debuting its own romp through the space-time continuum.
“Time After Time” premieres on the alphabet network Sunday, March 5, but while both it and its Fox-based competitor deal with time travel and its consequences, the similarities don’t stretch much further than that.
Based on the 1979 sciencefiction movie of the same title — which itself is based on the novel by Karl Alexander — “Time After Time” investigates what might have happened if 19th-century author H.G. Wells really had built a working time machine, instead of just writing about one.
Freddie Stroma (“UnREAL”) stars as a young Wells, whose time-twisting invention is stolen by legendary serial killer Jack the Ripper, played by Josh Bowman (“Revenge”).
What follows is a race through time, ending in modern-day New York. While the Ripper adjusts quickly to the 21st-century world, Wells finds it all a bit overwhelming — that is, until he meets Jane (Genesis Rodriguez, “Identity Thief,” 2013), a captivating woman who immediately steals his heart.
With the Ripper picking up his murderous habit in a new century, the famed novelist is the only one who knows his identity, and what develops is a thrilling game of cat and mouse between the two, while Wells’s romance with a thrillingly modern woman heats up the screen. “Time After Time” premieres Sunday, March 5, on ABC.
True crime anthologies are also hot commodities, from Netflix’s “Making a Murderer” to “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” on FX.
NBC’s new “Trial & Error” takes the genre in a different direction, though: a comedic one. Premiering Tuesday, March 14, the series is structured similarly to a true-crime anthology, but there’s no true crime here. This is fiction, through and through, even if the trappings do make it look like it could be real.
Nicholas D’Agosto (“Gotham”) stars as big-city lawyer Josh Simon, whose ambition and idealism leads him to a small southern town where an eccentric poetry professor stands accused of murdering his wife.
John Lithgow (“The Crown”) stars as John’s client and the accused murderer. But, despite being innocent until proven guilty, his actions around town sure don’t make him look like an innocent man. Jayma Mays (“Glee”), Steven Boyer (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” 2013), Krysta Rodriguez (“Smash”) and Sherri Shepherd (“The Soul Man”) round out the cast as the locals involved in the case.
Like a “real” anthology, the aim of “Trial & Error” is to wrap up the murder mystery and trial by the end of the first season, with each season focusing on a new crime and its associated trial in its own hilarious fashion. “Trial & Error” gets started Tuesday, March 14, on NBC.
Sally convinces Thomas to let Coco interview for an internship with Forrester Creations, and Coco’s professionalism and experience really impress. Coco gets the internship, but Sally starts feeling guilty about using her as a spy, prompting Saul and Shirley to remind Sally why they’re doing so. Coco, meanwhile, isn’t so sure she wants to go along with the scheme anymore, as she does want to start a career in fashion. Rick is furious when he finds out Coco is a Spectra. Steffy and Liam finalize their wedding plans. Ridge’s reaction isn’t quite what Steffy had hoped for. Ridge and Quinn end up in a compromising position. Charlie remains suspicious of Ridge and Quinn, and brings up his worries with Pam, who is in disbelief. Nicole and Zende are back from their honeymoon with plenty of memories.
Nicole tells Deimos that she is done with him for good, and later, he accuses Brady of being in love with her. Nicole pleads with Chloe to give her baby back, and Deimos concocts a plan to kidnap the baby. After Nicole makes a move out of desperation, Deimos and Brady argue over how to help her. Gabi overhears Lani and JJ agreeing to go on a date together. Abigail and Chad continue to develop a relationship, but have an awkward encounter with Gabi. Love is in the air as Hope and Rafe go on a date, and later discover that massive changes are happening at the Salem police department. Things come to a head between Paul and Sonny. Eric and Jennifer share a special moment. Jade and Joey receive some surprising news. Dario shares secrets with Gabi. Eduardo swears he will do anything for Kate.
Nelle, who wants a future with Michael, gets some advice from Bobbie, before Nelle starts planning her escape. After learning the truth, Alexis looks to Jordan for some assistance. A break benefits Julian, and Laura disappoints Tracy in a big way. Jason doesn’t live up to his word, and his and Franco duke it out. Some shocking news devastates Liz. Kevin is on the hunt for answers to his burning questions. Michael divulges some information to Sonny. A sacrifice is made by Finn. Robin worries for her mother’s safety. Ava is grilled for answers by Jordan.
Gloria dotes upon Jack at Jabot, giving him a shoulder massage, but Michael catches them in the act. Incensed, Michael demands to know what Jack’s intentions are with Gloria, and Jack fibs, saying he is indebted to Gloria. Elsewhere, Jill hears from Jack that he knows it was Colin who stole her money. Jill promises Jack that she’ll buy his share of Fenmore’s when she’s healthy. When Colin tries to collect his things, he’s told by Esther that they’ve been donated. Nikki and Victoria discuss Reed’s transgressions, and Nikki tries to remind Victoria that she was a bit of a rebel in her youth, too. In an effort to be more patient with Reed, Victoria asks Reed if he’ll play some music for her, and when he does, she’s thoroughly impressed. Sharon and Noah discuss Noah’s breakup with Marisa. Then, Noah listens as Sharon admits that Dylan is part of the Witness Protection Program. Cane is thrilled when he’s appointed head of Brash & Sassy’s Asia division. Nick and Chelsea make date plans, which doesn’t sit well with Faith. Jill learns Colin is still in love with her, but she’s determined to move on.