Screentime May 14 – 20, 2023

‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ is california leavin’ with Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J

Cover Story

CBS’ ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ bids farewell with a two-part finale

By George Dickie News of its cancellation this past January surely shocked and saddened fans of “NCIS: Los Angeles.” But they’ll be heartened to know the long-running CBS military drama will be getting a proper send-off with a two-part finale and retrospective.

Airing consecutive Sundays May 14 and 21, the finale titled “New Beginnings” picks up with the ATF seeking the NCIS team’s help in investigating stolen military-grade weapons and locating a missing agent. Also, Rountree’s (Caleb Castille) sister interviews for medical school and Sam (LL Cool J) encourages his father to take part in a drug trial.

And Callen and Anna (Chris

O’Donnell, Bar Paly) will be putting the finishing touches on their wedding, though all indications are that it will be anything but smooth sailing.

Immediately following the May 21 closer will be “A Salute fo NCIS: Los Angeles,” an hourlong special hosted by Kevin Frazier that features features footage, behind-the-scenes memories and interviews with cast including O’Donnell, Paly, Castille, LL Cool J, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen and Medalion Rahimi.

Bringing a series to a close after 14 seasons and 322 episodes posed a formidable challenge for showrunner and executive producer R. Scott Gemmill, who wanted to not only satisfy longtime viewers but

also do justice to the individual characters, chief among them O’Donnell’s G. Callen and his impending nuptials.

“We sort of put Callen on that path in previous seasons,” Gemmill explains, “and once we found out that we were going to be wrapping up, it seemed like a natural progression for his character, I think, in the sense that he always played this sort of lone wolf ... but wasn’t one really to commit to even his own stable sort of lifestyle. And I think by having him take this leap and make a commitment to the Anna character, it sort of shows him moving into a next stage of his life and sort of coming to terms with who he is and what he wants for the future.”

As for other storyline threads,

Gemmill indicates there will be a few surprise guest appearances though he didn’t get into specifics other than to say they will help bring closure and put characters on a hopeful path. After 14 seasons, the cast and crew have become like family to him and he hopes there will be other collaborations.

“You know the old saying ‘Don’t be sad that it’s over; be happy that it happened in the first place,’?” he says. “That’s what we’re trying to focus on. And over 14 years, you forge many, many friendships ... . So I’m sure a lot of us will cross paths and we all want to work together again – Chris and Todd (LL Cool J) and Eric (Olsen) and Danny (Ruah) and I. So I’m sure we will find ways.”

Learn Something News Every Day

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The STREAM Scene

May 14

“Movie: Ticket to Paradise”

George Clooney and Julia Roberts bring their considerable onscreen charisma to this otherwise lightweight 2022 romantic comedy in which they star as David and Georgia Cotton, a bickering divorced couple who travel to Bali to keep their soon-to-wed daughter Lily (Kaitlyn Dever, “Dopesick”) from making the same mistake they made 25 years earlier. Billie Lourd (“American Horror Story”) also stars.

WebLinks

May 15 “Movie: Point Break”

Young FBI recruit Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey) goes under cover to infiltrate a gang of extreme athletes — including surfer and eco-warrior Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez) — who performs daredevil heists in this 2015 makeover of a 1991 action movie blockbuster that featured iconic performances by Patrick Swayze (as Bodhi) and Keanu Reeves (as Johnny).

Where all the top choices can be found in one place!

May 14

“The Tailor”

From Turkey comes this drama series that tells the story of Peyami (Çagatay Ulusoy), a famous Istanbul tailor making a wedding dress best friend’s fiance — but all three have dark secrets that will soon upend their lives. Sifanur Gul, Salih Bademci and Olgun Simsek also star. (ORIGINAL)

In Focus

“American Born Chinese: Season 1” (Disney+ — series premiere, May 24)

Based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, this original action comedy tells the story of Jin Wang, an average teen juggling his high school and home lives, who meets a new foreign student on the first day of the school year and becomes unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods. Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Ben Wang (“Chang Can Dunk”) and Yeo Yann Yann (“Wet Season”) head the cast.

“Critter Fixers: County Vets: Season 5” (May 17)

A dog with a large kidney stone, an egg-bound cockatiel, a snake needing a C-section and an eel in need of surgery are among the cases faced by the vets at rural Georgia’s Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospital as the unscripted National Geographic series returns for its fifth season.

Host Dwyane Wade oversees 15 square feet of steel-edged plexiglass where simple tasks become challenges, and teams have nine lives to win seven games and a chance to walk away with $250,000 in Season 2 of “The Cube,“ airing Sundays on TBS. Check out all the action at www.tbs.com/shows/ the-cube/watch-now

Showboats vs. New Orleans Breakers. (Live)

Sports Zone

S unday

7:30 a.m. GOLF DP World Tour Golf Soudal Open, Final Round. (Live)

9 a.m. USA Premier League Soccer Everton vs. Manchester City. (Live)

10 a.m. CNBC Premiership Rugby Sale Sharks vs. Leicester Tigers. (Live)

11:30 a.m. USA Premier League Soccer Arsenal vs. Brighton & Hove Albion. (Live)

12 p.m. ESPN2 College Baseball Penn State at Nebraska. (Live) WGRZ-2 WICU-12 USFL Football New Jersey Generals vs. Philadelphia Stars. (Live)

1 p.m. GOLF PGA Tour Golf AT&T Byron Nelson, Final Round. (Live) WNYW-5 WUTV-29

PBA Bowling Players Championship, Finals.

(Live) WPIX-11 LIV Golf League Tulsa, Day 3. (Live)

1:30 p.m. ATTPT MLB Baseball Pittsburgh Pirates at Baltimore Orioles. (Live) SNY MLB Baseball New York Mets at Washington Nationals. (Live)

3 p.m. FS1 NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400.

(Live) GOLF 2023 Regions Tradition Final Round.

(Live) WGRZ-2 WICU-12 IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship Monterey.

(Live) WIVB-4 WSEE-35 PGA Tour Golf AT&T Byron Nelson, Final Round.

(Live) WNYW-5 WUTV-29 USFL Football Memphis

7 p.m. SNY MLB Baseball Tampa Bay Rays at New York Mets. (Live)

7:30 p.m. FS1 MLS Soccer D.C. United at Philadelphia Union. (Live)

8 p.m. ESPN NHL Hockey Conference Final: Teams TBA. (Live) 8:30 p.m. TNT NBA Basketball Eastern Conference Final, Game 1: Teams TBA. (Live) t hur S day

a.m. ESPN 2023 PGA Championship First Round - Alternate Telecast. (Live)

1 p.m. ESPN 2023 PGA Championship First Round. (Live) ESPN2 2023 PGA Championship First Round - Alternate Telecast. (Live) SNY MLB Baseball Tampa Bay Rays at New York Mets. (Live)

2:30 p.m.

playerprofile

BY GEORGE DICKIE

Gorman a star on the rise in St. Louis

In the category of young players to watch out for in 2023, we present for your consideration Nolan Gorman.

Indeed, in their 23-year-old second baseman/designated hitter, the St. Louis Cardinals look like they have a bona fide power bat to serve as a lefty-swinging complement to their slugging righty superstars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

Through 19 April games, the Phoenix native was hitting .316 with five home runs, 16 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .403 and an OPS of 1.052. His season highlight so far came on April 19, when he came off the bench to pinch-hit a grand slam homer at Busch Stadium in the Cards’ 14-5 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

At 6 feet 1 inch and 210 pounds, Gorman has the size and powerful lefty swing that any team would love in a young slugger. And this season, he’s improved on his tendencies to chase balls out of the strike zone, resulting in an increase in his walk rate (13.4 percent in 2023 versus 9 percent in his rookie campaign last year) and a decrease in his strikeout rate (23.9 percent versus 32.9 percent).

Of course, all this comes with the caveat that “it’s still early” and his numbers will certainly come back to earth. But at this point, Gorman appears to be a player with a bright future ahead of him.

Gorman and the Cardinals can be seen on national TV Sunday May 14, when they close out a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in a contest airing on ESPN.

Full name: Nolan Brian Gorman

Birth date: May 10, 2000

Birthplace: Phoenix

Height/weight: 6 feet, 1 inch/210 pounds

Teams: St. Louis Cardinalss (2022-present)

bestof ...

BY JAY BOBBIN

June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley,

“Leave It to Beaver”): This mother commendably kept her cool in the face of the frequently precocious antics of youngest son Theodore ... or “Beaver” (Jerry Mathers).

Margaret Anderson (Jane Wyatt, “Father Knows Best”): One of the prototypes of the American family woman on 1950s television, this character actually originated on radio.

Wilma Flintstone (voice of Jean Vander Pyl, “The Flintstones”): This Stone Age woman’s dryly humorous outlook helped her stay focused in the prehistoric era.

Julia Baker (Diahann Carroll, “Julia”): This nurse, widow and single parent was groundbreaking for TV in many ways at the time (1968-71).

Carol Brady (Florence Henderson,

ATTPT MLB Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks at Pittsburgh Pirates. (Live)

7 p.m. ESPN2 College Softball NCAA Tournament, Regional: Teams TBA. (Live) FS1 NHRA Drag Racing Route 66 NHRA Nationals, Qualifying. (Live) SNY MLB Baseball Cleveland Guardians at New York Mets. (Live)

8 p.m. ESPN NHL Hockey Conference Final: Teams TBA. (Live)

8:30 p.m. FS1 Horse Racing America’s Day At the Races. (Live) TNT NBA Basketball Eastern Conference Final, Game 2: Teams TBA. (Live)

11 p.m. ESPN WNBA Basketball Phoenix Mercury at Los Angeles Sparks. (Live)

2:30 a.m. FS1 AFL Premiership Football Fremantle Dockers vs. Geelong Cats. (Live) Saturday

6:25 a.m. ESPN2 Formula 1 Racing Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Practice 3. (Live) 7:30 a.m. USA Premier League Soccer Tottenham Hotspur vs. Brentford. (Live)

7:50 a.m. FS1 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup (Live)

Position: Second base, designated hitter

Bats/throws: Left/right

No.: 16

Honors and achievements:

Won a gold medal with Team USA in 2017 at the Under-18 Baseball World Cup; career stats

9 a.m. ESPN 2023 PGA Championship Third Round - Alternate Telecast.

a.m. ESPN2 Formula

Racing Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Qualifying. (Live)

a.m. ESPN 2023 PGA Championship Third Round. (Live) USA Premier League Soccer AFC Bournemouth vs. Manchester United. (Live)

a.m. FS1 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tyson 250, Qualifying. (Live)

a.m. ESPN2 College Softball NCAA Tournament, Regional: Teams TBA. (Live) 12 p.m. FS1 Major League Rugby Dallas Jackals at Rugby

BEST TV MOMS

“The Brady Bunch”): Well, of course. Through many years and many variations on the original show, this was the “lovely lady who was bringing up three very lovely girls.”

Shirley Partridge (Shirley Jones, “The Partridge Family”): It took a tuneful and spirited matriarch, and a colorfully decorated bus, to keep this clan on the road to sustained musical success.

Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton, “All in the Family”): As daffy as she might have seemed much of the time, this doting housewife had nothing but pure love for her daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers)

Olivia Walton (Michael Learned, “The Waltons”): It’s virtually impossible to think of great TV moms and not include this Depression-era mother of many offspring.

Caroline Ingalls (Karen Grassle,

(106 games) – .241 average with 19 homers, 53 RBIs, 50 runs, an on-base percentage of .318 and OPS of .777

Did you know: Gorman was the first player born in the year 2000 to be drafted by an MLB team.

“Little House on the Prairie”): Here’s another superb example of a home-screen mom who did her duty in much simpler times.

Eleanor Southworth “Miss Ellie” Ewing (Barbara Bel Geddes, “Dallas”): A backbone of steel, which she needed to keep her oil-rich family in line, made this character a unique staple of nighttime serials.

Elyse Keaton (Meredith Baxter, “Family Ties”): Though staunchly liberal, the mother of the highly conservative Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox) maintained peace –eventually – on the home front.

Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad, “The Cosby Show”): The modern wife, mother and career woman was embodied perfectly by this attorney.

Barbara Billingsley in “Leave It to Beaver”

word search

“NCIS: Los Angeles” on CBS

(Words in parentheses not in puzzle)

(G.) Callen

Kensi (Blye)

Sam (Hanna)

(Devin) Rountree

(Marty) Deeks

(Chris) O'Donnell

(Daniela) Ruah

LL Cool J

(Caleb) Castille

(Eric Christian) Olsen

“NCIS: Los Angeles”

(G.) Callen

Kensi (Blye)

(Devin) Rountree (Marty) Deeks

Solution is on page 11.

celebrity q&a

(Two-Part) Finale

Wedding

Stolen (Weapons)

Missing (Agent)

Military (Drama)

BY JAY BOBBIN

In Focus

Q: In the series version of “Fatal Attraction,” it’s incumbent on you and Joshua Jackson to portray a marriage that infidelity could disrupt deeply. Did you know his work previously?

A: I had tried to work with Josh many times. The two of us had tried to do a romantic comedy, and wouldn’t you know this is this thing where we finally got to work together? I think he’s brilliant, so I was really excited to do this with him. I also knew his stage work. I think he’s been underrated because he’s done so nicely for himself, but I definitely feel like he’s a force acting-wise.

Q: You’ve generated some of your own work in recent years, such as co-creating and co-writing the Netflix series “The Chair.” Can you describe the appeal for you in doing that?

BY JAY BOBBIN

Amanda Peet

A: It’s a great joy to be able to sit down and work without waiting for my agent to call me and say, “We have an audition!” As many people have said before me, there’s a whole aspect of being an actor that’s a little bit like having a terrible boyfriend.

For most of us, there’s a fair amount of waiting ... but not if you’re Cate Blanchett or Julia Roberts. With writing, I can just go ahead and do that anytime and anywhere. And in my sweatpants.

OF FATAL ATTRACTION ON PARAMOUNT+

Q: Being married to former “Game of Thrones” show-runner David Benioff, do you bounce your own creative ideas off of him?

Q: In the series version of “Fatal Attraction,” it’s incumbent on you and Joshua Jackson to portray a marriage that infidelity could disrupt deeply. Did you know his work previously?

A: Yes, and I hope this doesn’t sound too corny, but I consider him a mentor. I had thought about going back to school, to get the kind of critiques in class when you’re a writer – but instead, I had my husband, and also D.B. Weiss (also of “Game of Thrones”) and D.B.‘s wife, Andrea Troyer (also of “The Chair”). We have a little writers’ group, and that’s not always pleasant, but it’s necessary.

A: I had tried to work with Josh many times. The two of us had tried to do a romantic comedy, and wouldn’t you know this is this thing where we finally got to work together? I think he’s brilliant, so I was really excited to do this with him. I also knew his stage work. I think he’s been underrated because he’s done so nicely for himself, but I definitely feel like he’s a force acting-wise.

Q: You’ve generated some of your own work in recent years, such as co-creating and co-writing the Netflix series “The Chair.” Can you describe the appeal for you in doing that?

A: It’s a great joy to be able to sit down and work without waiting for my agent to call me and say, “We have an audition!” As many people have said before me, there’s a whole aspect of being an actor that’s a little bit like having a terrible boyfriend.

For most of us, there’s a fair amount of waiting ... but not if you’re Cate Blanchett or Julia Roberts. With writing, I can just go ahead and do that anytime and anywhere. And in my sweatpants.

Q: Being married to former “Game of Thrones” show-runner David Benioff, do you bounce your own creative ideas off of him?

A: Yes, and I hope this doesn’t sound too corny, but I consider him a mentor. I had thought about going back to school, to get the kind of critiques in class when you’re a writer – but instead, I had my husband, and also D.B. Weiss (also of “Game of Thrones”) and D.B.‘s wife, Andrea Troyer (also of “The Chair”). We have a little writers’ group, and that’s not always pleasant, but it’s necessary.

I WOULD HAVE LOST HEART, UNLESS I HAD BELIEVED THAT I WOULD SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING. (PSALM 27:13)

“Nancy Drew” (The CW — season premiere, May 31) Last season we found out that things aren’t going to be so rosy for Nancy (Kennedy McMann) and Ace (Alex Saxon). And in this Season 4 premiere things pick up right where they left off with simmering love and youthful yearning. But showrunners also plan to put Nancy back into familiar territory — the graveyard. So expect a return to the mysteries the series is famous for.

In Focus

where they left off with simmering love and youthful yearning. But showrunners also plan to put Nancy back into familiar territory — the graveyard. So expect a return to the mysteries the series is famous for.

Crossword Puzzle

Jeff Bridges film 45.

residents

“Man of the __”; Robin Williams

DOWN

1. “48 Hours” correspondent (2)

2. Steiger or Stewart

3. “__ Do Anything”; song from “Oliver!”

4. Charisse’s namesakes

Solution is on page 11.

8. Role on “Will Trent” (2)

9. Silent actress Theda

11. Grows gray

14. “A

Look Now Look Here...

5. Evans or Robertson 6. Mr. Roker 7. Scottish denial

The identity of the featured celebrity is found within the answers in the puzzle. In order to take the TV Challenge, unscramble the letters noted 2 x 3” ad