Topline:
Need some good recommendations for new television shows? We're here to help.
This week's picks: Our TV critics weigh in on Muscles & Mayhem, The Horror of Dolores Roach andThe Lincoln Lawyer, Season 2
Trivia fact: Muscles & Mayhem gives you a personal glimpse into the hit 90's show American Gladiator through the eyes of the stars on your screen back then.
It’s both a blessing and a curse that we’ve reached a time where there’s just so much television to experience but so many different places to find it. It makes scrolling across your streamer of choice an inconvenience that doesn’t offer as much of a payoff if you try a show half-heartedly and are disappointed.
That’s where I and some friends step in as a Deus-ex-machina of sorts, a way for you to resolve that inner conflict of what to choose and make sure it’s something worth investing in.
On LAist 89.3’s AirTalk, we bring television critics every week to give you a rundown of those shows that are fresh out of the oven. They’ll serve you a taste of what to expect and from there, you can choose whether or not you want to eat the rest.
Along with that, I’ll add to their topline thoughts and give some insights based on my experience watching the show. I may not have TV critic as my title but I got enough knowledge as a fan of film and television to at least give you an informed perspective. And as a member of Gen-Z, I’ll be able to add an extra filter you might get from someone on Twitter but with much less toxicity tied to it.
Sound good? Are you hungry now? Well while you wait for your food to be ready to eat, read through what we got to tell you.
This week, AirTalk’s Larry Mantle talked about the latest on television and streaming with Eric Deggans, TV critic for NPR, andLiz Shannon Miller, senior entertainment editor at Consequence.
This week’s shows included:
Streaming on Netflix
"It's all, it's a fascinating kind of gossipy deep dive into a real cultural phenomenon that not enough people remember...and the performers [are] pretty charismatic even today, decades later." — Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
First impression: The story of the hit reality TV show American Gladiator, through the eyes of those who starred in the show. It brings together both the troubling past of the show but also adding personal testimony as to how the show did provide some good for those involved.
Lasting impression: I think folks will definitely come out of the show feeling both entertained and informed. The docu-series pulls together compelling interviews, engaging animation, and a topic that lends itself to a lot of memorable sound and B-roll.
The 90s were a time that most adults can look back to in some capacity, even as a late 90s kid myself, I recall watching re-runs of shows like American Gladiator that we now view as problematic due to labor conditions and the lifestyle they implicitly promoted.
What makes this stand out as a documentary is the openness of stars like Zap, Nitro, and Virgo, talking about their drug use at the time and the physical toll the show took on them. You really feel for a fair amount of these folks but it’s interesting to also see how fondly they look back. It’s the toll of demanding work that I’m sure will keep many folks interested in the show, because even if you aren’t built like the folks on screen you sure have adversity that you’ve had to manage.
Who's behind it: The folks who directed and executive produced this docu-series are Jared Hess & Tony Vainuku. Hess’s most notable credit is as the director/writer for a couple of 2000s classics, the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite and the 2006 film Nacho Libre.
Vainuku’s credits are all in the documentary world, having worked previously with Netflix on Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist, which told the life and career of Manti Te'o, who found himself in headlines due to being catfished online.
When and where: All five episodes are streaming now on Netflix.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
"I'm not usually a fan of true crime stories. I'm not usually a fan of stories with plot connectivity to Sweeney Todd...but [this is] a really fun, off-kilter [show that] takes on all genres." — Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
First impression: Dolores is a person who’s down in her luck, covering for a boyfriend of hers to the point of going to jail, only to get thrust back into society with no support system 16 years later. It’s then that horror ensues, including murder, cannibalism and popularity as a result of true crime fanatics.
Lasting impression: The show is an interesting project that takes advantage of folks’ obsessions with true crimes and manages to bake in the reality of mass incarceration in the world we live in today. Within it, you’ll find humor and a cast of characters you’ll find in contemporary Washington Heights.
Although this is a New York-centric story, I think you’ll get a whole lot out of it as an Angeleno and Californian, with the topics it delves into being familiar for plenty of folks here. It tells one outcome of the incarceration process, which Californians should know about considering the state ranks 2nd in having the most prisoners, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics for 2021. Whether it be due to the length of time or lack of support, a lot of folks can have trouble acclimating back to society and supporting themselves, which is what the show is attempting to depict.
This then brings us to the issue of gentrification, which can make it difficult for some to be acclimated, seeing some of your community get pushed out by developers and in the process making it harder for you to reconnect with them. The Urban Displacement Project detailed a 16% increase in gentrification in Los Angeles County from 1990 to 2015. So although this story isn’t going to perfectly apply to every incarcerated person in Los Angeles County, it at least offers a perspective in media that previously was left unnoticed.
Who's behind it: The creator of the show is Aaron Mark, who was the same person who developed the podcast and play Empanada Loca, which would later become this Amazon Prime Video show.
He doesn’t have many credits but he did previously serve as a consulting producer for Season 2, episode 10 of the Hulu show Into the Dark. Into The Dark was a show under Blumhouse Production’s television branch, who are also the folks who helped with The Horror of Dolores Roach.
When and where: All eight episodes are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.
Streaming on Netflix
"I feel like it's just a slightly elevated version of the kind of legal drama/thriller that we might see on broadcast television or even on cable... it's not necessarily gonna revolutionize television, but it's a nice little example of an entertaining show." — Eric Deggans, NPR
"There's a lightness to it that I think some procedurals can sometimes overlook, but the characters [here] are fun and poppy." — Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
First impression: Mickey Haller is back, dealing with a lot of fallout resulting from Season 1 of the show, trying to balance his interests as a public defender with his newfound celebrity after winning a high-profile case. Yet, it’s through his success that he makes enemies, one of which is a man who seeks Mickey out with malicious intent– could it be to ruin his career or take his life?
Lasting impression: The show is a result of book author Michael Connelly, whose detective novels include The Brass Verdict and The Lincoln Lawyer, which are the original works that depicted Mickey Haller before the likes of Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Matthew McConaughey brought him to life.
The charisma McConaughey brought to the 2011 film The Lincoln Lawyer might not be the same as Garcia-Rulfo’s television version, but getting to see this new version of the role is great in its own right. Seeing Mickey’s development on-screen is the kind of story that’ll seem familiar to many people who enjoy noir and true crime, but to me that familiarity is the narrative equivalent of your favorite blanket.
Who's behind it: The credited creator of the show is David Kelley, who created and produced Doogie Howser, M.D. back in 1989. Most recently, he’s not only worked on this Netflix adaptation of The Lincoln Lawyer but he also created the recent adaptation of Love & Death on Max.
When and where: Episodes 1-5 are streaming now on Netflix; episodes 6-10 (Part 2) release Aug. 3
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The annual Eastside celebration returns Sunday with a parade, festival and live entertainment. Here’s everything you need to know.
About the parade: For decades, organizers have brought together community leaders, performers, businesses and organizations to celebrate culture, community and tradition. This year, the parade will culminate in a festival with family-friendly activations, including live music, local vendors and lucha libre.
When is it? The parade runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13. The festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on First Street and Mednik Avenue.
Read on... for more on the 80th East L.A. Mexican Independence Day Parade.
This story first appeared on The LA Local.
Colorful parade floats, charros on horseback and live music will take over Cesar E. Chavez Avenue on Sunday for the 80th East L.A. Mexican Independence Day Parade.
For decades, organizers have brought together community leaders, performers, businesses and organizations to celebrate culture, community and tradition. This year, the parade will culminate in a festival with family-friendly activations, including live music, local vendors and lucha libre.
This year’s co-grand marshals are singer and actor Dasahev López Saavedra, better known as El Dasa, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis.
Here’s everything you need to know.
The parade runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13. The festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on First Street and Mednik Avenue.
The 1.5-mile route will run along Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, starting at Mednik Avenue and ending on Gage Avenue. You can find a map of the parade route and other festivities on the festival’s webpage here. Early arrival is suggested to secure a viewing spot for the parade.
The parade will feature floats, show cars, representatives from Eastside organizations, equestrian teams, marching bands and folklórico dancers.
The festival will include vendors, musical performances, resource booths, a pop-up from local boutique The Goddess Mercado, a free pet vaccination clinic that will administer free vaccines for the first 200 pets, and a free lucha libre showcase by East Los Lucha.
Limited free parking will be available at the East L.A. Civic Center lot located on E. 3rd Street and Civic Center Way. Attendees can also find street parking in the surrounding area.
The Metro E Line’s East L.A. Civic Center station is just a short walk from the event.
If you’re unable to attend or want to watch the parade from home, you can tune in to the live broadcast on ABC7.
For more information, check out the website here.
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The Department of Recreation and Parks says a fence at MacArthur Park will be temporary and is still on track for construction this fall. Parks officials have not provided a specific date, cost estimate or explained what conditions would need to change before the fence comes down.
What they've said so far: Consultants for the city have described a fence that would be transparent, reversible and designed to blend into the park — in the words, not a dominant feature at the historic park.
How the fence would be used: The current plan calls for the park to remain open during the day, with eight entry points, and close overnight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. LAPD would close the gates at night, and Recreation and Parks maintenance workers would reopen them each morning.
Read on... for more on what people think the fence will solve.
This story first appeared on The LA Local.
Robbie Hall has a record of the people she has treated for overdoses at MacArthur Park.
The photos of many of the people she has treated are saved on her phone. She can scroll through them and remember each one.
Hall, an ambassador with the nonprofit Five Keys, has been doing this work for about four years and is at the park almost every day, carrying Naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.
She typically responds when someone stops breathing.
“I stopped counting when I got up in my 40s, because it started being gradually three of them, four of them,” Hall said.
On a recent September morning at the park, Hall said she found a 14-year-old girl in a bathroom who was experiencing an overdose. Tears welled up as she talked about the people she encounters at the park.
“They need help, they need help,” she said. “This is every day.”
She believes the city needs to address the problem. When asked about the plans to fence the park, she said she sees the fence as one way to improve the conditions she sees on the ground.
“They need to put something up here,” she said.
For Hall and others who work around the park, the fence is less a solution than a stopgap, something concrete to try amid problems that have proven harder to solve.
The Department of Recreation and Parks says the fence will be temporary and is still on track for construction this fall, but has not provided a specific date, cost estimate or explained what conditions would need to change before the fence comes down.
Marco Pacheco, president of the MacArthur Park Park Advisory Board, does not believe the fence will be temporary.
“I think this is going to be permanent,” Pacheco said. “This is going to be a permanent fixture of some sort because first of all, you don’t put up a fence that costs millions of dollars to take it down. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Pacheco isn’t the only one who has doubts.
Richard Barron, who served on the Cultural Heritage Commission for 22 years before departing in July, also questioned whether the city would follow through on its promise to remove the fence.
“I doubt that the fence is going to come down,” Barron said, “especially when they’ve spent all that money. Even taking it down costs a lot of money, you know, and you’re going to throw all that material away?”
The Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners approved $2.3 million in funding for the project. The city has not said how much money will ultimately be spent on the fence.
The city’s consultants have described a fence that would be transparent, reversible and designed to blend into the park.
Leila Hamroun, a senior preservation architect with Tetra Tech, the consulting firm working with the city on the project’s design, said the fence won’t be a dominant feature.
“The whole intent here is to guarantee that it just blends in, that it’s seamless,” Hamroun said. “It’s reversible, transparent, minimalist, consistent with the evolution of urban parks over time.”
The fence is expected to be about 8 feet tall, with gates at eight existing entrances. Decorative elements would be considered separately, with community input expected next year.
For Michelle Garcia, who has been a vendor around MacArthur Park since 2015, it could help distinguish vendors from the people living in the park.
“I support it if they could get the homeless people out,” Garcia said. “They are the ones that make MacArthur Park look bad. But they also make us look bad, because we sell around the area, so they think we’re like them, which we’re not.”
Garcia was among a group of vendors at MacArthur Park who held a Sept. 2 press conference to call attention to what they described as police harassment and citations that pushed vendors away from the park.
“Like us, we’re trying to work and get money for our bills, our rent,” she said.
Police have their own expectations for what a fenced park could accomplish.
The Los Angeles Police Department has stepped up enforcement around the park through a joint task force with the Drug Enforcement Administration focused on drug dealing in the area. In July, Rampart Division Capt. Benedict Fernandes said the operation had significantly disrupted the drug trade, but that drug users were spreading into surrounding neighborhoods in search of narcotics.
“We know that all the communities around have been impacted because it got spread this way, sort of like a shotgun blast,” he said. “It went south, it went east, it went north, it went west.”
Fernandes said the next phase of the enforcement effort would focus on connecting unhoused people and drug users with shelter and recovery services.
The fence, he said, is meant to make the park less convenient for drug activity and “prevent crime” inside the park.
“Because that’s the problem,” Fernandes said. “The Alvarado corridor at MacArthur Park has been convenient for drug users for years. We’re just trying to make those things stop.”
Fernandes said the temporary fence along Alvarado and now the orange bollards installed in the area, have worked to disrupt that activity.
But Hall, the outreach worker administering Narcan at the park, has not seen those types of improvements on the ground.
“Since they did that big bust? No, it got worse,” Hall said when asked whether she had seen fewer overdoses in the area.
She said people wait for police to leave the park before returning.
“If it wasn’t for Five Keys, there would be a lot more dead bodies here,” she said.
The plan calls for the park to remain open during the day, with eight entry points, and close overnight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. LAPD would close the gates at night, and Recreation and Parks maintenance workers would reopen them each morning.
The department says the fence is intended to make the park easier to maintain. Illegal dumping, littering, vandalism and graffiti have made routine maintenance difficult, according to the department, which has said MacArthur Park generates more graffiti cleanup requests than nearby Lafayette Park.
The city has pointed to nearby Lafayette Park, which is fenced and closed at night, as a model for MacArthur Park.
Pacheco, the president of the park’s advisory board, said he has heard general support for the fence among community members.
“In many cases, community members alluded to Lafayette Park having been fenced for a long time, the difference between the two parks, Lafayette being a lot safer and a lot cleaner and less of a problem than MacArthur Park,” he said.
The fence still needs final approval from the five-person commission that approved the project’s conceptual phase in October. The commission has not yet set a date to consider the final plans.
Topline:
To incentivize voters to cast ballots for Republicans, President Donald Trump used his convention speech to promise a dividend of $5,000 to every adult citizen if the Republican Party maintains control of Congress in the midterm election.
"If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000," he said. "It will be called the Trump dividend, congratulations." The money would have to be spent in the U.S., the president said.
The context: Trump did not provide details about where the money would come from or the legality of his promise. According to the most recent Census data, it could cost $1 trillion or more to provide these payments.
The background: The event is designed to rally support for Republicans in the midterms where they face an uphill battle to maintaining control of Congress.
Read on... for more on the implications of Trump's dividend pledge.
To incentivize voters to cast ballots for Republicans, President Donald Trump used his convention speech to promise a dividend of $5,000 to every adult citizen if the Republican Party maintains control of Congress in the midterm election.
"If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000," he said. "It will be called the Trump dividend, congratulations."
The money would have to be spent in the U.S., the president said.
Trump did not provide details about where the money would come from or the legality of his promise. According to the most recent Census data, it could cost $1 trillion or more to provide these payments.
The event is designed to rally support for Republicans in the midterms where they face an uphill battle to maintaining control of Congress.
He said the midterms will decide if the country stumbles or surges forward, adding that he will travel to "every race," to show his support to the Republican nominees, and to Texas even more than once.
Trump's support and his ask of voters to "pretend" that he's on the ballot could backfire given his unpopularity amid the war in Iran and the nationwide focus on affordability.
"Vote Republican and we will leave the world in our dust for generations to come," said Trump.
Apart from the $5,000 promise, Trump's address was not very different from his typical rally speech, touching on issues he often speaks about, including tariffs, the importance of destroying Iran's nuclear program, passing a bill to limit voter identification and registration rules and claiming lower inflation than when he took office.
It was a night where Trump was the star of the show. The event, billed as a "Trumpapalooza," put the president center stage as Republican candidates, lawmakers and everyday Americans shared appreciation for Trump and his policies.
"Let's hear it for the man who had the vision to hold this convention," Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said to widespread applause.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee in Texas, also opened by praising President Trump for standing up for Texas.
Paxton addressed the economy, promising tax relief policies to help American families. He also made an appeal for more support, acknowledging that his opponent, state Rep. James Talarico has the money advantage.
"I need your prayers, your vote and your support," Paxton said. "If we lose Texas, we lose the common sense revolution. If we lose the common sense revolution, we lose America."
Rep. Brandon Gill, who represents a district north of Dallas, said this election is about "the mainstream versus the extreme."
Gill, one of the speakers with the longest address Wednesday, returned several times to transgender issues, a culture-war theme that has been especially prominent in Texas politics.
"I think we can all remember the good old days when political debates were about marginal tax rates and government spending," Gill quipped. "Now we are debating whether toddlers can become transgender, whether men can become pregnant and whether your daughter should have to share a locker room with a man."
Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke about the Trump administration's law enforcement agenda.
"President Trump will hold you accountable," he said. "If you choose violence, you will be held accountable. Now that is making America safe again."
Before Blanche, no sitting Attorney General had spoken at a political party convention, the House Judiciary Dems said on X Tuesday.
They called Blanche's participation in the convention "dumbfounding and unprecedented. Amazing how far the DOJ has fallen," said the post.
Political parties typically hold big, televised presidential nominating conventions every four years, but this isn't a presidential election year. And midterm conventions just aren't a thing (at least not since Democrats scrapped them after a short run in 1982).
It would be reasonable to ask why Republicans, trying to hang onto their narrow majorities in the House and the Senate, would want to train so much attention on a president whose approval rating is underwater.
At a recent campaign rally, Trump laid out the theory of the case.
"The problem that we have is they say that Trump does great when he's on the ballot," said Trump, speaking in the third person. "But when he's not on the ballot, his people don't come and they don't vote.
"So, what I really want you to do is pretend please, that I am on the ballot," Trump said at the rally for South Carolina Republican Sen. Darline Graham, who is running for her seat this fall. "Just come and vote. It's so important."
But this isn't just a plea for Republican primary voters in a runoff election in a deep red state. In swing states and toss up districts, Trump and his advisors are trying to rebuild the coalition of voters who propelled him back into office in 2024, voters who don't always show up if there isn't a presidential race at the top of the ticket.
This is a different approach than that taken by most presidents whose parties are facing political headwinds in a midterm year. But President Trump has never been one to go along with the normal rules of politics.
Convention organizers say the gathering in Dallas will focus on the issues shaping the midterms, including lowering the cost of living and raising incomes, securing the border and protecting American values.
Based on an NPR analysis, using race ratings from the Cook Political Report, fewer than half of the Republican candidates in competitive House and Senate races are listed as convention speakers.
"We're going to be back in our district, working hard," said Republican Rep. Zach Nunn of Iowa, when quizzed on his convention plans by reporters on Capitol Hill.
He's in a toss-up race for reelection.
But if the White House is concerned about attendance, Vance isn't letting on.
"The president and I can go and make [the] argument on national TV," Vance said at a White House press briefing last week. "We don't need a congressman in a tight race to be there in all cases."
There's also a question of who will be watching. The convention is up against the NFL season opener on Wednesday night, a rematch of this year's Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. There's a primetime football game on Thursday night as well.
Democrats aren't planning their own convention and the counterprogramming will be fairly limited.
"Most elected officials don't even want to go to [presidential nominating conventions]," said John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster and consultant. "I mean, the expiration date on conventions has passed a long, long time ago."
And, he argues, the war in Iran, unpopular tariffs, high gas prices and broader affordability concerns, mean the political environment "is disastrous for Republicans running for office and this Republican convention is not going to change that narrative one iota for the midterm elections."
Ohio Republican Party chairman Alex Triantafilou said he had no trouble finding people interested in attending. But the state party was also allotted far fewer tickets than it would get for a traditional presidential convention.
"From the very beginning we were told that we could use this as an opportunity to rally the troops and to raise some money for the party and those two things have certainly happened," said Triantafilou.
He said the state party is using the convention to excite grassroots Republicans and he hopes the president will visit Ohio again sometime before the November election.
"He is very popular here," said Triantafilou. "We do talk a lot about low propensity voters and turning them out. Nobody turns out low propensity voters in Ohio like the president. So, we welcome this."
Whether this novel midterms approach will pay off is yet to be seen, but some Republicans say it may be the best shot the party has to limit its losses in what is widely expected to be a tough year for Republicans.
"Running to President Trump and defending his record, I think, is an interesting strategy and I think it is so interesting that it might just work," said Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, a Republican group. "We've tried running away from the president in previous midterms and we almost always lose."
Schilling will be at the convention and says he expects many of his friends involved in Republican politics to be there as well. He hopes they emerge energized and ready to drive a focused message heading into the midterms.
NPR's Eric McDaniel contributed reporting for this story.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Topline:
The longest road trip in NFL history has brought the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to Australia’s sports capital for a season opener in front of more than 100,000 football-hungry fans packed into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest stadium.
Why it matters: The NFC West rivals are playing Australia’s first NFL game, and the starkly differing ways in which they made this epic journey have attracted almost as much attention as the two star-studded rosters preparing to put on a show.
The backstory: The 49ers have been Down Under for more than a week, adjusting their body clocks and winning over thousands of Aussie fans who appreciate their commitment to the historic moment. The Rams were only scheduled to arrive in Melbourne around dawn Thursday, roughly 28 hours before the Friday morning kickoff that’s necessary to play the game Thursday night in prime time in the U.S. That’s because head coach Sean McVay is convinced they can thwart jet lag and optimize their game readiness by staying home on California time.
What's next: The Rams and 49ers kick off at 5:35 p.m. Thursday night on Netflix.
The longest road trip in NFL history has brought the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to Australia’s sports capital for a season opener in front of more than 100,000 football-hungry fans packed into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest stadium.
The NFC West rivals are playing Australia’s first NFL game, and the starkly differing ways in which they made this epic journey have attracted almost as much attention as the two star-studded rosters preparing to put on a show.
The 49ers have been Down Under for more than a week, adjusting their body clocks in the traditional manner and winning over thousands of Aussie fans who appreciate their commitment to the historic moment.
The Rams were only scheduled to arrive in Melbourne around dawn Thursday, roughly 28 hours before the Friday morning kickoff that’s necessary to play the game Thursday night in prime time in the U.S. That’s because head coach Sean McVay is convinced they can thwart jet lag and optimize their game readiness by staying home on California time.
Both teams agree this contrast in preparation is not a referendum on the best way to handle a pair of 16-hour flights with a football game in between — even if the rest of the world might see it that way after the final whistle.
Instead, this game is primarily a difficult early test for both the Super Bowl favorite Rams and the talent-laden 49ers, who also intend to be a title challenger. The coaching staffs and veteran players all know each other thoroughly after a decade of competition between Shanahan and McVay, who are both constantly looking for an edge.
“I don’t think there’s any right way to do it,” said defensive end Myles Garrett, who will make his Rams debut in Australia. “They have a plan, and I’m sure they consulted different teams and people to find out a way to combat jet lag and such long travel. We’ve done the same thing. I think we’re both riding our methodologies.”
Garrett will be joined by star cornerback Trent McDuffie and cornerback Jaylen Watson in their debuts with Los Angeles’ revamped defense.
But Garrett will not be joined at the MCG by Aaron Donald, who ended his 2 1/2-year retirement late last month. The Rams decided the 35-year-old Donald will stay home as he ramps up deliberately for his return — and that’s a beacon of hope for Shanahan, who was sure his old friend McVay would bring Donald to Australia.
“I’ve never been more excited to be wrong about something,” Shanahan said.
