Page 4 - TVTimes.5.28.17

4 May 28 - June 3, 2017
El Dorado News-Times
cover story
Shonda shakes it up
ABC bolsters the ranks with ShondaLand’s first costume drama
What is Pelvic Prolapse?
When an organ becomes displaced, or slips down in the body, it is referred to as a
prolapse. You may have heard women refer to their “dropped bladder” or “fallen uterus.”
Southern Arkansas Urology
Symptoms of pelvic prolapse can include:
2 x5
• pressure or discomfort in the vaginal or pelvic area, often made worse with physical activities such as prolonged standing, jogging or bicycling
• diminished control in the bladder and/or the bowels.
Call today for an appointment!
704 W. Grove Suite 4 870-863-4511 El Dorado, AR
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
urology
DR. SAMUEL T. HOUSTON
southernarkansasuro.com
By Jacqueline Spendlove
TV Media
ShondaLand is going in a different direction this summer. The produc- tion company founded by screenwrit- er/producer Shonda Rhimes has made a comfortable home for itself in ABC’s Thursday night prime-time block, with such hit drama series as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “How to Get Away with Murder.”
In a departure from the contem- porary, workplace-based shows we usually get from Rhimes, the latest offering from ShondaLand is a pe-
riod piece — and you can look for it Monday nights instead of in the usual TGIT block. “Still Star-Crossed” takes us back to fair Verona in a series that serves as a sequel to William Shake- speare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” It’s based on the novel of the same name by Me- linda Taub and makes its long-awaited debut Monday, May 29, on ABC.
As just about anyone who made it through high school English knows, “Romeo and Juliet” is one of Shake- speare’s best-known tragedies and ends with the deaths of the play’s two titular lovers. The final scene of the play leads us to believe that the feuding Montague and Capulet fami- lies are reconciled by their children’s deaths, but as we see in “Still Star- Crossed,” things in Verona are still more than a little rocky.
The series follows characters we were made familiar with, to vary-
ing degrees, in “Romeo and Juliet.” British actress Lashana Lynch (“Fast Girls,” 2011) stars as Rosaline Capulet, Juliet’s cousin. In the series, she’s taken in by her aunt and uncle (Juliet’s still-grieving parents) follow- ing the deaths of her parents, and is forced to work as a servant.
In Shakespeare’s play, Rosaline is a minor character, but an important one. Her role is a non-speaking one (and in most productions, she’s never even seen), but those familiar with the play will remember that she’s the object of Romeo’s affections in Act
I, Scene I, before he sets his eyes on her cousin, Juliet — though Rosaline “hath forsworn to love,” a.k.a. the feeling isn’t mutual. It’s because
of Rosaline that he sneaks into the Capulet party, and thus meets Juliet. You know the rest of the story.
Starring opposite Lynch is Wade Briggs (“Please Like Me”) as Benvolio Montague, Romeo’s cousin, who tries to keep the two families from ripping each other to pieces for much of the play. In “Still Star-Crossed,” his desire for peace doesn’t extend to his own marriage prospects; he’s ordered to marry Rosaline, who has no say in
the matter, and neither of them is thrilled with the arrangement. Prince Escalus (Sterling Sulieman, “In Time,” 2011), however, is convinced that the match will bring peace to Verona at long last, and is heedless of the fact that Benvolio is firmly against mixing Montague and Capulet blood, and Rosaline despises her
betrothed.
For fans of Rhimes’ shows, the debut of “Still Star-Crossed” has been long awaited. The announcement first came well over a year ago, in January 2016, that ABC had
ordered the pilot for the 2016-
17 season.
The plan was
to give it a mid-season premiere, but the scope of the produc- tion (which is filmed in Europe),
and Rhimes’ packed schedule, simply didn’t allow for it.
This isn’t your average ShondaLand production, filmed on a Los Angeles soundstage, after all. Showrunners wanted to give it the time and atten- tion that a well-orchestrated costume drama demands.
“It has taken us a little longer than we thought it would’ve taken us,” ABC entertainment president Chan- ning Dungey told Deadline at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. “It has all the great hall- marks of a ShondaLand project, but it also is very epic in terms of scope and scale, and we did not want to rush
it into a place where we felt like it wasn’t ready.”
Period dramas have always been
a draw, but the genre is having a moment right now in particular. The dearly departed “Downton Abbey” was a megahit for PBS, and Netflix’s “The Crown” has been raking in the accolades. There’s “Victoria,” “Pol- dark,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Poirot” — the list goes on and on, and the popularity of the format shows no sign of waning. It’s no great surprise that Rhimes would want a piece of that pie.
While at first glance, the show looks nothing like the other series un- der the ShondaLand label, showrun- ners are confident that fans of “Grey’s Anatomy” and the rest will still find the elements they love about those shows in “Still Star-Crossed.”
“It’s different, but it isn’t,” execu- tive producer Betsy Beers told Variety. “It is different in that it’s a period
piece set in 16th-century Verona, but at the core of it, it’s a very emo- tional, twisty-turny show about ro-
mance and relationships and family conflict ... so in those ways, I think
it lines up perfectly with the other ShondaLand shows. We just have
them wear different costumes, and shoot in one of the most
beautiful areas of Spain I’ve ever been in my life.”
It’ll be interesting to see how well Rhimes and company carry out this latest project.Watch the
series premiere of “Still Star-Crossed” when it airs Monday, May 29, on ABC.
Lashana Lynch in a scene from “Still Star-Crossed”
T
T
Ti
i
t
t
New 2017 Nissan
a
a
n
n
X
X
D
D
4
4
x
x
4
4
P
P
r
r
o
o
4
4
4X
MSRP ............................... $55,060
Trotter Discount .................... $3,560
Nissan Customer Bonus Cash . $3,000
A/Vanhook Tire
Nissan Customer Cash .......... $4,000
B/Trotter Auto Group
#HN540071
2 x2
$ 44,629
1910 W. Hillsboro, El Dorado 870-864-4700
6981
NISSAN
Laparoscopy
Su
ol Needs
When you need the best.
Cervical Cancer Screening
Incontinence
Endometrial Ablations Laparoscopy Assisted
Sterilization by Laparoscopy
rg
ery
fo
n
s
r
Str
a
s
o
B
l
i
ess
Urin
ar
y
Bone Density
A/South Ar
en’s
C
in
c
k
a
W
m
irth
C
on
tr
B/Audibel Hearing Services
Colposcopy
Abdominal Hysterectomies
Hysteroscopy Menopausal Disorder
Vaginal Hysterectomies D&C’s
2 x3
Cryosurgery
Normal & High Risk Obstetrics
708 W. Grove 870-863-8444
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
4
4
6674