Latest news with #DopeThief
Boston Globe
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
The 15 best TV shows of the year so far
'Adolescence' (limited series, Netflix) Where to begin? The long, cinematic camera takes that make you feel like you've intruded on a reality already in progress? The searing performances from Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, Erin Doherty, and a stable of largely unknown UK actors? This tight, four-episode drama, about an adolescent (Cooper) accused of killing a female classmate, is a gut punch that diagnoses a world of contemporary problems without ever feeling like a sociological treatise. Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks in "The Better Sister." JOJO WHILDEN/Jojo Whilden/Prime ' ' (season 1, Amazon Prime Video) The apple doesn't fall far. TV luminary David Milch's daughter, Olivia Milch, created this high-grade pulp drama with Regina Corrado, a key writer on David Milch's series 'Deadwood' (speaking of peak TV). Jaggedly funny and compulsively watchable, it follows two adult sisters (Jessica Biel and Pittsfield native Advertisement 'Black Mirror' (season 7, Netflix) A funny thing happened to Charlie Brooker's future-shock sci-fi anthology series on the way to 2025. It now feels more wickedly plausible than ever, and it therefore cuts closer to the bone. The season opener, starring Rashida Jones and Chris O'Dowd, is a soul-crushing masterpiece in which life and death become a matter of coverage tiers. It's still engineered to make you laugh until it hurts really, really bad. Matthew Goode in "Dept. Q" on Netflix. Jamie Simpson/Jamie Simpson/Netflix (season 1, Netflix) Scott Frank, who made chess exciting and sexy with his 2020 Netflix limited series ' Brian Tyree Henry in "Dope Thief." Apple TV+ 'Dope Thief' (season 1, Apple TV+) Brian Tyree Henry has been doing killer supporting work for a few years now on TV (' Advertisement ' ' (limited series, HBO) From the Department of Good Timing: At a moment when the principles of the civil rights movement are under attack, HBO released the third installment of a vital project that started back in 1987. These six chapters cover the period from the late 1970s to the present, exploring issues including fair housing, the war on affirmative action, the AIDS crisis, the Obama years, and more. It plays like a series of deeply reported feature stories. 'Forever' (season 1, Netflix) The Judy Blume renaissance continues with this series inspired by her 1975 novel about two teens dealing with raging hormones, societal expectations, and, yes, first love. Series creator Mara Brock Akil has moved the action to Los Angeles in 2018, where two Black high school athletes (Michael Cooper Jr. and Lovie Simone) fall head over heels and face highly realistic obstacles. Few series have so viscerally captured the pains of being a teenager. 'Inside the NBA' (TNT) Gone, but not forgotten. In fact, not exactly gone. TNT's freewheeling pregame and halftime show is the most spontaneous and entertaining sports enterprise on the air. Now Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, and ringmaster Ernie Johnson are moving (for NBA broadcast rights reasons) to ESPN and ABC, where the flavor promises to be a little different. But hopefully not too different. Here's hoping the new bosses let the mountainous Shaq tumble into some more Christmas trees. Advertisement Bella Ramsey in "The Last of Us." Courtesy of HBO ' ' (season 2, HBO) It takes nerve to kill off the main character early in the second season of a hit series. It takes skill and imagination to keep the train rolling along in the aftermath. You won't find a more assured mix of prestige and popular appeal than HBO's zombie apocalypse drama, which, of course, is about far more than a zombie apocalypse. And you won't find better evidence for the blurring of high and 'low' culture than the fact that one of HBO's best series is based on a video game. ' ' (season 2, Netflix) Palestinian-American actor/comedian ' ' (documentary, HBO) A penetrating study of what it means to have a popular alter ego, and what happens when that alter ego takes over. The late Paul Reubens, better known as Pee-wee Herman, makes for a controlling, passive-aggressive, but somehow still appealing subject as he thrusts and parries with filmmaker Matt Wolf. The end results, in two parts and about four hours, ask probing questions about identity, fame, and the many guises we try on to get ahead. Advertisement 'The Rehearsal' (season 2, HBO) Comedian Nathan Fielder's first-person docuseries has moved well beyond the point of stunting. The recently completed season culminates in a surreal plane flight, with Fielder at the controls and the plane full of actors, all coordinated to make a point about cockpit communication and preventable crashes. It makes for riveting television and deadpan advocacy, delivered in a self-conscious monotone that belies a passionate sense of purpose. 'Saturday Night Live' (season 51, NBC) Maybe it was the re-election of Donald Trump, or just the right meshing of cast and writers. Whatever the reason, 'SNL' felt energized this season, like a big league pitcher getting his fastball back. The 'White Potus' sketch melded pop culture heat with political satire. The Please Don't Destroy team found a groove with its digital shorts (go to YouTube and search for 'First Class'). Michael Che and Colin Jost refined their vibe of friendly antagonism on 'Weekend Update.' And a big, 50-year-old dog showed it can learn some new tricks. Seth Rogen in "The Studio." Apple TV+ ' ' (season 1, Apple TV+) Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen's painfully funny send-up of the current movie business is certainly insidery, but it's also madcap, slapstick fun, a tasty poison pill and a lament for the difficulty of making art in a world defined by fast commerce. Throw in cameos from a weeping Martin Scorsese, a frustrated Sarah Polley, an enraged Ron Howard, and more, and you've got the satire that contemporary Hollywood deserves. Advertisement ' ' (season 3, HBO) At some point Mike White's formula of narcissistic tourists behaving horribly in paradise will wear out its welcome. But that point hasn't arrived yet. The writing and the acting — this season's standouts include Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, and the returning Natasha Rothwell — are still top-shelf, and the American idiots abroad motif carries a little extra oomph in this day and age. The coconut milk is off! What do you think the best show of 2025 is? Sound off in the comments and let us know.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Brian Tyree Henry's 5 Favorite Places in Philadelphia
If your memories of summer camp don't involve eight-course tasting menus and vintage fashion shopping sprees, well, perhaps you weren't doing it right. Or you were never in a stalled Apple TV+ production with Brian Tyree Henry. Mr. Henry, 43, who recently received the Gotham Television Awards' first Performer Tribute for his role in 'Dope Thief,' is the star and an executive producer of this crime drama about two friends who try to earn a living as fake drug enforcement agents. The limited series was not quite halfway through filming in Philadelphia when Hollywood writers went on strike in 2023, soon followed by actors. He decided to make the best of a bad situation by staying put and diving as deeply as possible into his character's hometown. During the work stoppage, which lasted six months, 'the Philly crew was still there, and they were my friends,' Mr. Henry said in a video interview. 'So my time in Philly felt like sleep-away camp.' He learned a lot. For starters: 'Philly natives love Philly,' he said. 'If I walked out of my house in anything green and white, it had better have an eagle on it.' He also discovered that he didn't need to stray far from his Center City rental to find a happy place: the tiny 17th-century Rittenhouse Square. 'You can sit in the park and read a book, and then go and chill out and have a good meal across the street,' he said, citing the steak, popovers and tater tots at Barclay Prime among his favorite examples. Another neighborhood staple was the Rittenhouse Spa & Club, where regular facials helped mitigate the 'sweat, blood, smoke and gunpowder' he was covered in during filming. 'They would be like, 'What did you go through this week?'' he said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Los Angeles Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Brian Tyree Henry is going to start a fight over Wawa Hogies
'Dope Thief' star Brian Tyree Henry has strong opinions about Wawa hoagies and talks working with Ridley Scott during our Very Important Questions presented by Disney also told us about his favorite Trader Joe's treat and a tip for keeping it from making a mess. Watch The Envelope Roundtable with Henry, Elizabeth Banks, Renée Zellweger, Javier Bardem, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jenny Slate and Stephen Graham.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brian Tyree Henry on how ‘Dope Thief' let him ‘reclaim' his name: ‘I was just Paper Boi to people,' and now ‘I became Brian again'
"Dope Thief allowed me to reclaim my name," says Brian Tyree Henry, the star and executive producer of the Apple TV+ limited series. The Oscar, Emmy, and Tony nominee tells Gold Derby, "I was just Paper Boi [from Atlanta] to people for quite a few years. And so with this one, I think that I became Brian again, and that is very special to me." Watch our full interview above. Henry plays Ray Driscoll on Dope Thief, a con artist who, along with his lifelong friend Manny Carvalho (Wagner Moura), robs from drug dealers by posing as DEA agents. Unfortunately, they steal from the wrong people, and mayhem ensues. The program is written by Peter Craig and based on the 2009 novel by Dennis Tafoya. "Everything that happens is absolutely terrible, but in the end, it's a fun ride," the actor recalls. More from GoldDerby Emmy experts debate Comedy Series race: 'Hacks' will compete against 'a bunch of new kids on the block' 2025 Tony Awards highlights: The best, the worst, and the 'Hamilton' mixtape Tonys 2025: Best prediction scores by Gold Derby experts, editors, and users "Wagner Moura is truly one of the best that's ever done it," Henry says of his costar. "Being able to do this show with him was the greatest gift I've ever been given, honestly." On their first day on set, he recalls Moura pulling him aside and revealing that he was "really scared," to which Henry responded, "'Regardless of what goes on, I promise you I won't leave your side. We've got each other.' And from then on, we were just connected and locked in." Henry calls Dope Thief a "love story between these two friends who are more than friends. I don't even think the word 'friend' is appropriate. They've been through so much together. It's very easy to see series where it's a Black and Brown man paired together — violence, drugs, all the yahooey — but you never really get to the core of who they are. But these two men are afraid and vulnerable, and there is grief, there is regret." Apple TV+ Henry sees a connection between his roles as the lead actor and executive producer, and takes both positions seriously. "What I realized by being the star of the show and also the EP, is that there's this phrase that floats around on sets that says, 'It starts from the top.' Whoever is considered the top of the show, their tone dictates the rest of how the show goes and is felt. And so, in this particular project, I felt like being No. 1 on the call sheet meant that I set the tone, and I didn't want anything but joy." The tone of Dope Thief shifts between incredibly dramatic and hilariously light-hearted. "Even if I'm on the ground covered in blood with a hole in my leg, in between takes, we're going to get up, I'm going to play music, we're going to talk," says Henry. "Peter would let us improv all the time, which is my juice. I love it. I just always want to be truthful in where the characters are." Regardless of what happens at upcoming awards shows, Henry is happy that Dope Thief gave him room "to show people my range and that I'm not just one thing." He's already been nominated at the Gotham TV Awards for this project, and the Emmy nominations will be unveiled on July 15. "I don't ever win sh-t," he laughs. "It's cool, but I'm always so wrong about what I think people will recognize. Let me tell you something: I'm honored." Henry opens up about how the sixth episode, in which Ray was in a "delirium" after being shot, came on the heels "of a major loss in my life, when my father died." He explains, "This episode also dealt with Ray and his father [played by Ving Rhames] and all these different things, and I was like, you have got to be kidding. There is no way that you can make this up. It was incredibly cathartic. It is an episode that I truly, truly, truly love. It was incredibly hard to make, but at the end of the day, it was so rewarding." The actor is proud of all of his collaborations and has nothing but thanks for Craig. "I tell Peter all the time, thank you for putting dialogue like this in my mouth," he says, "and for allowing space for me to actually show all these different emotions that they normally just don't let us as Black actors play." What does Henry think his character will be up to five or 10 years in the future? "I hope that Ray is on a farm in a garden that he has procured somewhere in New Hope, Pa.," he says with a smile. "I hope that he makes candles, is in love with his mother [played by Kate Mulgrew], that they're running a shop. I really want him to wear cardigans, but I want him to really feel like he's free," Henry continues. "I think that freedom is the thing that he needs." Dope Thief is now streaming on Apple TV+. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby 'Say Nothing' star Anthony Boyle on playing IRA activist Brendan Hughes: We 'get to the humanity as opposed to the mythology' The Making of 'The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to VE Day': PBS variety special 'comes from the heart' From 'Hot Rod' to 'Eastbound' to 'Gemstones,' Danny McBride breaks down his most righteous roles: 'It's been an absolute blast' Click here to read the full article.
Los Angeles Times
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Limited/TV Movie Roundtable: Stephen Graham, Elizabeth Banks, Javier Bardem, Sacha Baron Cohen, More
Brian Tyree Henry ('Dope Thief') joins Jenny Slate ('Dying for Sex'), Renée Zellweger ('Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy'), Elizabeth Banks ('The Better Sister'), Javier Bardem ('Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story'), Stephen Graham ('Adolescence') & Sacha Baron Cohen ('Disclaimer') on the L.A. Times Limited Series & Television Movie by The Walt Disney Studios.
