The Hamilton Spectator

Painting the town: Key and Strong return for ‘Schmigadoon!’ Season 2

By Raye Smith

WHAT’S NEW ON APPLE TV+

“Schmigadoon!” - Season 2

The lovers are back and ready to paint the town in Season 2 of the hit musical comedy “Schmigadoon!” when it premieres on Apple TV+ Wednesday, April 5. Having returned to their everyday lives after discovering the magical, musical land of Schmigadoon, where everyone acts like they’re in a performance of classic musicals, Josh (Keegan-Michael Key, “Keanu,” 2016) and Melissa (Cecily Strong, “Saturday Night Live”) are left feeling like something is missing for them. Heading back into the woods in search of Schmigadoon once more, what they find instead is Schmicago, a darker, grittier fantasy land that reimagines the musicals of the 1960s and ‘70s. Now, as they settle back into a new adventure, they’ll have to take on a whole new cast (or two, or three ...) as they work to solve a song-and-dance-filled murder mystery. Season 2 sees the return of stars Dove Cameron (“Descendants,” 2015), Jaime Camil (“Jane the Virgin”), Kristin Chenoweth (“Pushing Daisies”), Alan Cumming (“The Good Wife”), Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story,” 2021), Ann Harada (“Blue Bloods”), Jane Krakowski (“30 Rock”), Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”) and Aaron Tveit (“Les Misérables,” 2012), alongside new additions Tituss Burgess (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Patrick Page (“In the Heights,” 2021) and Karin Konoval (“Snowpiercer”). The six-episode second season is once again brought to the screen by co-creators Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, the writing team behind big-screen hits including “Despicable Me” (2010), “Horton Hears a Who!” (2008) and “The Lorax” (2012), among others.

WHAT’S NEW ON HULU

“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” (2023)

The new two-part documentary “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” making its Disney+ premiere Monday, April 3, takes an eye-opening look at the life, career and public image of actress and model Brooke Shields. An ‘80s icon and a household name, Brooke Shields worked as a child model before rising to prominence in the controversial 1978 film “Pretty Baby” at the age of 12. From there, forays into provocative ad campaigns and more controversial films (including 1980’s “The Blue Lagoon”) led Shields to sexualization in the public eye from a young age. As the documentary examines the scrutiny on and commodification of her body by the media, the public and the industry she works in, it explores her extraordinary childhood, her complex relationship with her “momager,” Teri Shields, her marriage to Tennis legend Andre Agassi and her own struggles with motherhood. As Shields looks back on her life, she tells the story of how she grew to discover her own identity and embrace her agency. Directed by Lana Wilson (“A Cure for Fear”), “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” is produced by Christine O’Malley (“If You Build it,” 2013) and Jack Turner (“Loving,” 2016) and executive produced by Jacqueline (“The Murders Before the Marathon”), Todd Lubin (“Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” 2021), Alyssa Mastromonaco (“Vice”), Jay Peterson (“Lip Sync Battle”), George Stephanopoulos (“I Was There”), Alexandra Wentworth (“Nightcap”) and first-time producer Leah Gonzalez.

WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX

“Transatlantic”

This Friday, April 7, Netflix brings audiences “Transatlantic,” the seven-episode limited series inspired by Julie Orringer’s novel “The Flight Portfolio” and by the real adventures of Varian Fry (played in the series by Cory Michael Smith, “Gotham”), Mary Jayne Gold (Gillian Jacobs, “Community”), Albert Hirschman (Lucas Englander, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” 2022) and the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC), an international gang of young heroes. Set in Marseille, France, from 1940-1941, “Transatlantic” follows the group as they risk their lives to save more than 2,000 refugees during World War II, including some of Europe’s greatest artists and intellectuals, alongside a long list of individuals deemed “undesirable” by the Nazi Party. From creator/showrunner Anna Winger (“Deutschland, 83”) and co-creator Daniel Hendler (“Unorthodox”), “Transatlantic” also stars Corey Stoll (“Billions”), Gregory Montel (“Call My Agent!”), Ralph Amoussou (“Marianne”), Deleila Piasko (“Agent Hamilton”), Amit Rahav (“Unorthodox”), Moritz Bleibtreu (“Shades of Guilt”), Alexander Fehling (“Inglourious Basterds,” 2009), Jonas Nay (“Line of Separation”), Lolita Chammah (“Anton Chekhov 1890,” 2015), Luke Thompson (“Bridgerton”), Jodhi May (“The Witcher”), Rafaela Nicolay (“FBI: International”), Henriette Confurius (“The Silent Forest,” 2022), Yoli Fuller (“Marie Antoinette”) and Nadiv Molcho (“Freud”).

STREAMING IN CANADA

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2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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