Kate Thornton, the host of The Royal Beat, and Nick Bullen, Executive Producer and Co-Founder of True Royalty TV, join forces to preview several documentaries honoring Queen Elizabeth II. This Platinum Jubilee special looks at the life and times of the Queen as well as her husband, the late Prince Phillip.

With personal insights into the people discussed in the documentaries as well as personal recollections, both Thornton and Bullen provide viewers with a composite of the life of Queen Elizabeth. They describe the various documentaries available on the channel.

True Royalty TV is a streaming channel that is devoted to not only the British royal family, but also includes shows about royals around the world. This year, however, is focused solely on Queen Elizabeth II to honor her 70 years on the throne.

By examining the various documentaries available on the channel, viewers learn about the various aspects of the life of the Queen. All the shows are interesting and informative, and for viewers in the U.S.A., they provide lessons about how the British royals have lived and worked, which is not something generally taught in American schools. After all, the Revolution was fought to get the royals out of the lives of Americans. However learning about them is intriguing and in this special year, it is perhaps timely to check out the documentaries on the channel.

Unfortunately, the world realizes Elizabeth’s reign is coming to an end, although the thought is not a pleasant one. So it is a perfect time to discover more about this woman who has dedicated her entire life to her country and the Commonwealth.

For more about the Queen and royals around the world, check out the channel and take a look at the new discussion focusing on all things Elizabeth.

Elizabeth at 95: The Invincible Queen – This film highlights how the Queen has grown the British Monarchy into an ‘unbreakable’ brand during her time on the throne and acted when necessary to protect the Windsor brand at virtually all costs, even when the threats come from within their own family.  The documentary also analyzes the Monarchy’s business operations and how it makes its money by leveraging its brand, and reveals how the Palace uses its powerful influence behind the scenes to protect its revenues and avoid scrutiny.

“This special references the créme de la créme of True Royalty TV’s documentaries on the Queen,” notes Bullen. “Viewers will get a comprehensive look at the history of her time on the throne, along with the personal and political challenges and triumphs she has experienced over the years. Many of these documentaries include first-hand testimony from those who were there as history was made. I recommend watching The Collection special first, as Kate Thornton and I provide even further context to these seminal events and their impact on the Queen’s legacy.”

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years and has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. Follow her on Twitter.

The first original series on Freevee (formerly IMDb TV) — the Free Amazon Channel — is Bosch: Legacy, a continuing saga of Amazon Prime’s longest running and most popular series Bosch. Adapted from Michael Connelly’s best-selling novels with some tweaks, this character-based procedural series follow Hollywood Homicide Detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) as he grinds away in his job relentlessly pursuing bad guys and trying to bring a little justice to the world.

Bosch: Legacy picks up almost two years after the jaded and disgruntled Bosch left the force. The next chapter (Welliver finds it odd to call it a spinoff) of the continuing saga of Harry Bosch focuses on the three returning Bosch characters — all victims of the corrupt multimillionaire Carl Rogers (Michael Rose) who knows how to work the system — as they explore and navigate through uncharted waters in their personal pursuit of justice.

Although Harry Bosch has always been a lone wolf with a moral compass intact (remember his code? Everybody counts or nobody counts), Bosch: Legacy explores who is Bosch without the badge? He feels untethered like a ronin — a wandering samurai with no lord/master. With neither the authority nor the specialized resources for good old-fashioned police work at his disposal, the newly independent PI Bosch solicits help from new and old friends; a tech-forward gadget whizz Mo Bassi (Stephen A. Chang), Harry’s former partner J. Edgar (Jamie Hector), retired Detectives Moore (Gregory Scott Cummins) and Johnson (Troy Evans) — aka Crate and Barrel — and, not to mention, Harry’s loyal dog Coltrane.

Harry is summoned by ailing billionaire Whitney Vance (William Devane), exploring “the paths not taken” before he dies, and is retained to investigate whether he has an heir.

Still nursing her gunshot wounds and suffering from a myriad of PTSD symptoms, Honey “Money” Chandler (Mimi Rogers) is hell-bent on avenging the wrongs inflicted not only on herself but also on other victims in Carl Rogers’ wake, including Judge Donna Sobel (Bess Armstrong), collateral damage due to her liaison with Harry, and Harry’s daughter Maddie (Madison Lintz) who barely escaped the assassination attempt. Honey is all gung-ho about hunting him down or die trying; she has nothing to lose!

Once a high profile defense lawyer in “the big ivory tower office,” Honey turns over a new leaf as a civil rights attorney — yeah, you heard me right! With the guidance of her old mentor and law school professor Martin Rose (David Moses), she plugs away at righting injustices for those who could not fight for themselves. If life-changing traumatic experience does not change you radically, I don’t know what will.

The spanking new chapter for Maddie Bosch should read; who is Maddie with the badge? The legacy candidate with serious DNA from her parents is looking to find her footing as a ‘boot’ (a rookie patrol officer) with the LAPD. She thought she knew what being a cop was all about, but the reality hits her hard; she knows nothing, and she cares too much. As Maddie patrols the streets of Los Angeles, she grapples with the bigger question at the heart of the new series; is it a calling or just a job?

It’s a given that every parent worries about their kid’s safety, but now that daddy’s little girl is following in his footsteps, Harry’s anxiety is all-time high and palpable. Like two peas in a pod, Harry and Maddie are products of broken homes and suffer from great losses and abandonment issues, not to mention the glaring fact that both their mothers were murdered. The shared narratives contribute to a thoughtful and insightful parent-child dance; while Harry waits for his daughter’s cue to impart his professional wisdom, Maddie spares her father the anguish of losing her by judiciously containing her own concerns and anxious uncertainties. They aren’t doing too bad, considering.

The first four episodes of Bosch: Legacy are available on Freevee. Two new episodes will drop every Friday through May 27. There will be 10 episodes in total.

About the Author

Meg Mimura is a TV critic who actually watches shows zealously in search of thought-provoking and paradigm shifting human drama worth our precious time. She is a member of Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter.

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Can you imagine being on the receiving end of fury of a disgruntled has-been prima donna? I was not privy to how she was roped into the role — way above my pay grade —, but she was promised the world and then unceremoniously dropped like a hot potato.

While the betrayed and abandoned dragon diva was biting my head off and spewing venom at every turn, her so-called agent was simply too busy providing a good bit of handholding for an up-and-coming ingénue the film director was crazy about. And she was also working on getting herself a role in front of a camera.

Geez, who died and made you agent? Your negligence in handling your irate diva is certifiable. I’ve had enough of dangerously self-absorbed and despicable people like you! Now there’s a new show about a talent agency…Nuh-uh, no way!! I’m not even going to go there.

The Sundance Now original series Ten Percent, however, turns out to be a workplace dramedy with a lot of heart. The eight-episode remake of hit French series Call My Agent! centers around a small boutique stalwart agency Nightingale Hart in bustling world of London’s entertainment industry.

Jonathan Nightingale (Jack Davenport), the Prince Charles at Nightingale Hart, has been waiting for his life to begin even as he approaches middle age. Richard (Jim Broadbent) asked his only son to join the agency he had co-founded with Stella Hart (Maggie Steed), but did not groom him to take over the business one day. After his unexpected departure, the agency scrambles to retain Richard’s clients — as a team, not a fire sale — and keep the lights on.

Stella, co-founder/senior partner/major shareholder, is a gentlewoman of the old school; gracious, mannerly, principled, and absolutely committed to her clients. She is determined to maintain the founding motto — mutual loyalty through thick and thin — built on a gentlemen’s agreement. Stella is joined by fellow agents — Rebecca (Lydia Leonard) and Dan (Prasanna Puwanarajah) — for voting against climbing into bed with Americans. However insecure and self-conscious Jonathan might feel with his precarious position, he alone has to make the most difficult decision of his privileged and entitled life.

Julia (Rebecca Humphries), Jonathan’s frenzied and fanatic assistant, watches over him with hawk-eyed scrutiny and anticipates and satisfies his every whim. Lately, Julia is up in a tizzy wondering why a new hire Misha (Hiftu Quasem) and Jonathan are on such familiar terms. Who is Misha? And why does Ollie (Harry Trevaldwyn), Dan’s assistant, like her so much?

Unlike the epicenter of the entertainment industry — a hotbed of cut-throat viciousness, backstabbing, egotism, blatant nepotism, and comedy/tragedy (depending on how you look at it) —, London remains to be kinder, gentler fringe Hollywood where loyalty, friendship, courtesy and respect are nurtured and maintained. With such a sense of ‘British sensibility’ incorporated, Ten Percent is undeniably warm, touching, charming and normal; ordinary, flawed people doing their best while their clients — even A-listers — are insecure, vulnerable and perfectly relatable human beings you want to root for.

It reminds me of that warm and fuzzy feeling I always get from watching The Great British Baking Show née The Great British Bake Off. Mix good character, mutually beneficial etiquette, best efforts, and grace in losing and bake for an hour — voila! —  out comes the hearty ‘television comfort food’ fresh from the oven!

The first two episodes of Ten Percent premiere on Sundance Now and AMC+, AMC Networks’ streaming services, on Friday, April 29, 2022 followed by a new episode every Fridays. If you don’t subscribe to the streaming services, BBC America airs the first episode on Sunday, May 1 with one episode weekly thereafter.

About the Author

Meg Mimura is a TV critic who actually watches shows zealously in search of thought-provoking and paradigm shifting human drama worth our precious time. She is a member of Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter.

COURTESY PHOTO