The debut of ‘Echoes’, a sequel to ‘Orphan Black’, and the documentary ‘Bread & Roses’, which looks at the impact on Afghan women’s lives after Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021, are some of the new TVs, films, music and games coming to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth checking out, as selected by The Associated Press entertainment journalists: Jack Black returns as the voice for ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’, R&B-pop artist Kehlani has a new album and Kevin Hart’s interview show “Hart to Hart” is back for a fourth season on Peacock.
— Jack Black returns to the world of Kung Fu Panda for the fourth installment in the series, coming to Peacock on Friday, June 21. In “Kung Fu Panda 4” his character Po is asked to leave the position of Dragon Warrior and choose a successor. Critic Mark Kennedy wrote in his review for The Associated Press: “The series’ first new installment in eight years is a reliably funny, sweet and wonderfully realized passing of the torch, with one leg in the past and another in the future – an elegant farewell and hello.” The film also features the voices of Awkwafina, Bryan Cranston, Viola Davis, Ke Huy Quan and James Hong.
— If the set photos from “Gladiator II” have you wanting more Paul Mescal before that film’s November release, you’re in luck: “Aftersun” comes to Netflix on Friday, June 21. His moving performance as a single father in A Holiday in Turkey with his 11-year-old daughter earned him an Oscar nomination in 2023 (the award went to Brendan Fraser that year for ‘The Whale’). The film itself, from writer-director Charlotte Wells, topped the AP list of the best films of 2023. Film writer Jake Coyle wrote that it is “such a keenly observed accumulation of detail and feeling that you barely notice the undercurrent of heartache it will absolutely fail you in the end. Or for something completely different, watch Jessica Alba as a Special Forces commando in “Trigger Warning,” also streaming on Friday, June 21.
— The documentary “Bread & Roses’ looks at how the lives of three Afghan women were affected after Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021. Filmmaker and producer Sahra Mani explained that “closing girls’ schools in Afghanistan is not just a matter of feminist concern; rather, it is a matter of international security… the Taliban recognize that the children of educated mothers are difficult to indoctrinate and less likely to become their future soldiers.” Produced by Jennifer Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi, and executive produced by Malala Yousafzai, “ Bread & Roses” will be available on Apple TV+ starting Friday, June 21.
— The Grammy Award-winning R&B-pop artist Kehlani will soon return with her fourth studio album, ‘Crash,’ a follow-up to 2022’s critically acclaimed ‘Blue Water Road’ (which AP Entertainment writer Mark Kennedy described as a demonstration of her “effortless ability to move from pop, R&B, rap, trance and dance.’) On ‘Crash’ those eclecticisms have only continued to flourish. On the single ‘After Hours’, Kehlani brings her smooth vocals to the club over a dancehall beat; on ‘Next 2 U’ she weaves big, explosive electronic beats into an energetic love song. “They’re going to have to come for me/They’re going to have to look at me/To come next to you,” she sings.
— In 2023, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s single “Ella Baila Sola” surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify last month, becoming the first regional Mexican Top 10 hit on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100, peaking at number 4. The song became synonymous with what seemed to be a new, global music movement: Regional Mexican music – a collective term that includes mariachi, banda, corridos, norteño, sierreño and other genres – was embraced around the world. Pluma has in many ways become a figurehead of the global phenomenon, and on Friday, June 21, he will release a new album, the double disc entitled ‘Éxodo’. In interviews he has promised to discover many different sounds inside and outside the corridos that have made him an international name – as already evident in ‘Peso Completo’, with reggaetónero Arcángel.
– Disco is the sound of resilience and joy for many – which makes it so strange to think that its history, many decades from its inception, remains overlooked and underappreciated. On Tuesday, PBS aims to challenge any remaining vintage biases with a three-part documentary series titled “Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution.” It features disco greats from the past and present: Labelle’s Nona Hendryx, Sylvester’s Jeanie Tracy, Kim Petras and Jessie Ware, among others.
— On Saturday, June 22, HBO and MAX debut a new documentary about the life of Stevie Van Zandt, beloved actor, musician and member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, entitled “Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple.” It promises to deliver a wealth of never-before-seen footage – from “The Sopranos” to the early days in Jersey clubs to headlining stadiums and everything in between. And yes, of course Springsteen is featured – along with other talking heads, including Paul McCartney, Bono and Darlene Love.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— Kevin Hart’s interview show “Hart to Hart” returns for a fourth season Wednesday on Peacock. This season, the actor and comedian will have one-on-one conversations with Ben Affleck, George Lopez, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Samberg, Judd Apatow and Niecy Nash.
Hulu delves into the wild, true story of Sherri Papini, the California woman who staged her own kidnapping in 2016. Her claims were so bizarre that it took investigators six years to figure out what happened. All three episodes of “Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini” will be released Thursday.
– “Echoes,” a follow-up series to “Orphan Black,” debuts Sunday, June 23 on AMC and BBC America. The show, produced by and starring Krysten Ritter, is set in nearly 2052, nearly 40 years after the events of the original. Ritter plays Lucy, a woman we meet after undergoing a medical procedure she can’t remember. Her wife is Kira, the now adult daughter of Sarah Manning. “Orphan Black” fans may remember that Manning (played by Tatiana Maslany) was the lead in the original show. At the recent premiere, Ritter told The Associated Press that “Echoes” is different from its predecessor, saying, “How we approach the clones is that my character is played by different actresses at different ages.” Episodes are also streaming on AMC+.
– Erin French, the TV personality, chef and owner of the famous Maine restaurant called Lost Kitchen, has a new unscripted series on Magnolia Network called “Getting Lost with Erin French.” Together with her husband Michael, she travels through the country in an Airstream in search of recipe ideas. The series debuts on Sunday, June 23 on Magnolia Network. The series will stream on Max and Discovery+ the same day.
— It’s December 1975 and you’re stuck on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland. To make this Christmas even bluer, you’re all alone, except for a mysterious entity that seems to have wiped out the rest of the crew. That’s the setup for Still Wakes the Deep, the latest mystery from British studio The Chinese Room. The developers are known for bizarre interactive stories like Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, and their new adventure aims to combine the creeping dread of those titles with full-fledged Lovecraftian horror. Take a deep breath and dive in on Tuesday on Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 or PC.
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Watch AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.
