Animated Drama ‘Pantheon’ Brings Sci-Fi Nightmare to Vivid Life: TV Review

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic It’s easy to root for “Abbott Elementary.” In its first season, Quinta Brunson’s series established itself as both a big-hearted and sweet-natured half-hour and as a sign of life for the network comedy. Rooted both in the office-comedy genre that’s as old as the medium (with the office, in this case, being a Philadelphia public school) and in the 21st-century custom of the mockumentary, “Abbott” has been a sharp and strong argument for traditional forms. Brunson’s Emmy win for writing the show’s pilot came both as the welcome celebration of a new talent and as no surprise. And the first two episodes of the show’s second season continue its strong trajectory. The school came into a windfall in the previous season, and the decision of how to disburse it hangs over the proceedings. This is an elegant way to deploy both halves of “Abbott’s” emotional equation: The show’s teachers know that they are underfunded and that even a bonus will go too quickly, and yet they keep on going with a smile, because what’s the alternative? A scene in which the teachers visit a richly resourced charter school before returning home to scruffy deprivation plays fascinatingly, with barely concealed envy ricocheting from face to face.

Joshua Alston Among the entries in television’s recent reboot gold rush, “Quantum Leap,” NBC’s revival of its early-‘90s sci-fi drama, is arguably the series most deserving of a contemporary reimagining. That’s not because “Leap” was a blockbuster. It performed modestly enough to be considered a cult series by the standards of its era, clawing its way to just shy of 100 episodes across five seasons. But the high-concept hook is no less potent now than during the show’s heyday. The original found Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula), a gifted physicist, desperate to save the time-travel technology he’s been building on the government’s dime with too little to show for it. To prove his concept and save the project, Beckett tests the technology on himself to spectacular, if inconvenient results. Beckett can indeed hurl himself to and fro about the space-time continuum, but each “leap” plops him into the consciousness of a random person facing a consequential challenge. Once he solves the problems of his latest protagonist, he leaps again, each time hoping to land back in his own timeline.

Walt Disney Pictures has been pushing forward with heaps of “live-action” remakes of classic films from their extensive film library, and one of the more recent attempts has been a modern spin on the hit 1989 film “The Little Mermaid.” The film wasn’t just popular with kids but made a strong impression on adults as well, as it ended up winning Oscar statues for Score and Best Song. This makes sense why Disney recruited singer Halle Bailey to play the live-action version of the mermaid princess, Ariel, along with hiring veteran director Rob Marshall (“Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides“) to helm the musical after tackling feature adaptations of “Chicago” and “Into The Woods.” We’ve all been curious about the project and finally landed our first look at the live-action remake thanks to the studio’s panel at D23 Expo and the very first teaser trailer.

EXCLUSIVE: Fox is continuing its adult cartoon push and is looking at new ways to move the storyboard.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent MK2 Films has scored key territory deals on Japanese director Koji Fukada’s “Love Life,” which makes its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Set in contemporary Japan, “Love Life” is a character-driven film revolving around Taeko and her husband, Jiro, who are living a peaceful existence with her young son, Keita. When a tragic accident brings the boy’s long-lost father, Park, back into her life, Taeko throws herself into helping this deaf and homeless man to cope with the pain and guilt. Popular Japanese actress Fumino Kimura (“The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn’t Kill”) headlines the film. MK2 Films has now sold the movie to Teodora (Italy), Imagine (Benelux), Leopardo (Portugal), Demiurg (Ex Yugoslavia), New Cinema (Israel), Swallow Wings (Taiwan), Edko (Hong Kong), Impact Films (India) and Encore Inflight (Airlines).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The titles of Fukada Koji’s films almost drip with bitter irony. “Sayonara” seemed to be a farewell to human actors. Instead of being harmonious, Cannes Un Certain Regard jury prize-winner “Harmonium” was pitch black and steeped in quiet violence. Fukada’s latest, Venice Film Festival competition title carries the moniker “Love Life.” But its subject matter is loneliness. The story starts out on familiar lines, involving a married couple where suddenly the ex-husband of the wife appears, potentially setting up the melodrama of a triangular relationship. But in Fukada’s hands things are colder and more painful. The newcomer is burdensome, deaf and homeless. His arrival triggers, not love, but fragmentation, individualism and loneliness.

Naman Ramachandran ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ has proved to be a terrific return to Westeros for Sky Atlantic, the Sky group’s U.K. and Ireland channel focused on U.S. shows. The first episode of the show premiered Aug. 22 on Sky Atlantic and some 1.39 million people in total watched it, according to numbers seen by Variety. Of these, almost one million (991,000) either stayed up to watch at 2 am or downloaded via on demand through the day or caught up on recordings. More than 394,000 people watched the prime time linear broadcast. Based on overnights alone, this is the biggest drama debut ever on Sky Atlantic, overtaking the launch of “Game of Thrones,” and the biggest U.S. drama launch ever on Sky.