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Weekly Lede Stories

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Hairy Harry The world has gone wild for wizards yet again with the release of the first trailer for HBO’s upcoming HARRY POTTER television adaptation, along with the exciting news that the series will premiere in December 2026. The two-minute trailer packs in a lot of information and eye candy, from the very first meeting between Harry (Dominic McLaughlin), Hermione (Arabella Stanton), and Ron (Alastair Stout), to Aunt Petunia (Bel Powley) angrily and clumsily cutting Harry’s magically unruly hair. “You think you’re something special? There is nothing special about you,” Aunt Petunia snarls. Um … wrong! For nostalgia’s sake rather than comparison’s sake – the original Harry, Daniel Radcliffe, has pleaded with the vast fan base to let the TV show stand on its own merits – all the Harry Potter films are on Crave.

Role Call Sometimes actors become so strongly associated with certain roles, it’s hard to fathom that they almost declined the jobs. Such was the case with Steve Carell, who never would have played Michael Scott in THE OFFICE had he listened to the advice he received from fellow actor and good buddy Paul Rudd. As Carell recalled this week, “Rudd pulled me aside and was like, ‘don’t do it, man, don’t audition.’ ” Coincidentally, Elisabeth Moss shared the story of almost passing on the lead role of June in THE HANDMAID’S TALE. “I almost turned it down, and then they threatened me with who they were going to ask next,” Moss said intriguingly. Luckily, saner heads prevailed in both cases, and THE OFFICE with Carell, and THE HANDMAID’S TALE with Moss, are on Crave, while Carell’s new series ROOSTER airs Sundays on Crave.

Duration Operation Most TV shows go away eventually, but Noah Wyle, the star and one of the executive producers of the acclaimed medical drama THE PITT, has a different take on it, at least as it pertains to his current series. “One of the gratifying things about Season 2 is that we realized that we don’t need a big ‘deus ex machina’ plot device to keep this engaging,” Wyle explained. “There is something really fascinating about watching everyday people try to get through the course of their day, beset by all the trials and tribulations that come over the course of their day. If that is satisfying television, then this show could run forever.” There’s a joke in there somewhere about wait times in emergency rooms, but we’ll leave that for another day. For now, new episodes of THE PITT drop Thursdays on Crave.

Life Hack “You know, when you’re away from the spotlight, you have time to think about what really matters … THE SPOTLIGHT! God, I am glad to be back!” So says Deborah Vance, played by Jean Smart, in a trailer for the fifth and final season of HACKS, which debuts April 9 on Crave (where all previous seasons are available now). The final season follows Deborah and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) in their determined quest to secure Deborah’s legacy as an iconic comedian, despite the fact that Deborah is still restrained by a non-compete clause in her contract after leaving her late-night show. “I have been told that I cannot so much as perform one single joke, or I will go to jail,” Deborah says in the trailer. Of course, the next thing we see, she’s being loaded into the back of a police cruiser.

Rock On Close to 30 years after the release of the 1997 cult-classic comedy Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion, Mira Sorvino – who played Romy, alongside Lisa Kudrow’s Michele – can’t believe how fans of the flick continue to make her feel like a rock star. “(Writer and producer) Robin Schiff and I did a screening of it a couple years ago, it was in a theatre, and we walk on the stage, and we got a five-minute standing ovation,” Sorvino recalled on a recent podcast. “I was like, ‘this is what it feels like to be a rock star.’ What is happening? I am not Eddie Vedder (lead singer of Pearl Jam).” While a sequel is currently in development, the original Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion is on Crave now. And don’t forget, Kudrow’s critically beloved TV series THE COMEBACK just launched its third and final season, with new episodes Sundays on Crave.

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