Catch up on ‘Andor’ ahead of its epic three-episode finale

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who is waiting for the weekend to join the rebellion.

The highly anticipated final arc of “Andor” arrives next week, with a three-episode block that brings Cassian’s epic journey to a conclusion — cue the galactic grief. In this week’s “Catch Up,” our trusty “Star Wars” expert Tracy Brown is here to entice you to join the bandwagon before Season 2’s last installment.

Also in Screen Gab No. 180, our experts recommend a TV show about young love set in Los Angeles that’ll make you want to take a drive and listen to a playlist of yearning and heartbreak, and a collection of telecasts of notable Broadway and West End productions. Plus, Justin Hartley stops by Guest Spot to talk “Tracker.”

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Turn on

Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

“Next to Normal” (PBS App/ pbs.org)

I love covering the Los Angeles theater scene, but I don’t love braving rush hour traffic before taking in a live show. Thankfully, “Great Performances” is streaming freshly filmed productions from Broadway and the West End, starting with the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning work “Next to Normal.” This 2024 staging of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s 2008 rock musical stars Caissie Levy, Jamie Parker, Jack Wolfe and Eleanor Worthington-Cox as a suburban family coping with crisis and mental illness. (It’s a tearjerker, so be sure to keep your blankets and tissues in tow.) The lineup continues weekly on Fridays, with David Henry Hwang’s Broadway comedy “Yellow Face” starring Daniel Dae Kim (May 16), the musical “Girl From the North Country,” featuring 20 reimagined Bob Dylan songs (May 23) and a revival of Cole Porter’s comedy “Kiss Me, Kate” starring Stephanie J. Block and Adrian Dunbar (May 30). — Ashley Lee

“Forever” (Netflix)

You don’t always get love right on the first try, but it can still be a powerful experience. This modern day reimagining of Judy Blume’s groundbreaking 1975 novel from creator Mara Brock Akil captures the intensity of young love. Set in 2018 Los Angeles, the series follows the story of two high school students, Keisha (Lovie Simone) and Justin (Michael Cooper Jr.), who are trying to figure out who they’re becoming while experiencing the joys and insecurities of being each other’s first love. Keisha is a smart and confident track star whose circumstances pushed her to mature early, while Justin is a shy, music-loving guy who struggles with schoolwork. Their first phone call will transport you back in time and summon the butterflies. It helps, too, that L.A. plays a vital role in their love story. Production filmed in real neighborhoods — Keisha’s family lives in Crenshaw, and Justin’s family lives in the affluent View Park-Windsor Hills neighborhood. The pair visit places like the Fairfax District, the Santa Monica Pier and Little Tokyo as the season unfolds. And the soundtrack, which includes tracks from H.E.R, Nipsey Hussle and Victoria Monét, will have your ears in a love trance too. — Yvonne Villarreal

Catch up

Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone’s talking about

I have been shouting from every rooftop that “Andor” is not only one of the best “Star Wars” stories ever, but one of the best TV shows around. Now I’m here, in your inbox, ahead of Season 2’s three-episode conclusion on Tuesday, to say it again.

The show follows Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) before the events of 2016‘s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” where he is introduced as a skilled spy and dedicated leader of the Rebel Alliance who helps steal vital information about the Empire’s super weapon — the Death Star. Yes, the events of the original “Star Wars” could not have happened without the actions of Cassian and his team.

“Andor” starts five years prior to “Rogue One’s” narrative and tracks the radicalization and transformation of Cassian from disaffected minor delinquent to resistance fighter. That makes the Disney+ show a prequel series of a spinoff prequel movie of the original “Star Wars” — but don’t let this cloak of IP-ified franchise jargon shroud its broader relevance and appeal. “Andor” is more than just Cassian’s origin story.

One of the most mature and overtly political installments of “Star Wars,” the series is a meditation on how ordinary people respond to an increasingly oppressive authoritarian regime. It’s a morally complex story that shows how the actions and inactions of some of these ordinary people can contribute to the rise and retention of said regime, as well as how even the smallest acts of insurrection by others in the bleakest of times can be the spark needed for more to fight back. You don’t have to be a Jedi or wield a blaster to be a hero.

And if the show’s timely themes weren’t enough of a draw, “Andor” also has more than its fair share of incredible monologues. — Tracy Brown

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

The Season 2 finale of the hit CBS show “Tracker” is Sunday. But is its titular character any closer to learning the truth about his father’s death? Based on the novel “The Never Game” by Jeffery Deaver, the series stars Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, a professional problem solver who travels the country and uses his tracking expertise to help crack mysteries for private citizens and law enforcement. While the standalone cases keep the season moving, the backstory about Colter’s father has been the slow burn looming in the background. Hartley stopped by Screen Gab recently to discuss his penchant for characters with absent daddy issues, whether he’ll direct on “Tracker” and more. — Yvonne Villarreal

As the season nears its end, it seems like we’re getting closer to the mystery of what happened to Colter’s father. With “This Is Us,” Kevin knew how his father died, but the audience didn’t. In “Tracker,” Colter is in the dark too. How did your work on “This Is Us” inform how you thought about Colter and how he moves in the world with that added burden?

I think sometimes the burden of the unknown becomes a kind of engine. It drives how you go about your business. I know that’s true for Colter. What happened to his father, the mystery surrounding his death — who might be responsible, who might be hiding the truth from him — all of that weighs heavily on him. Colter has spent his entire life finding missing people, yet the one person who continues to elude him is his father. The story behind his father’s disappearance, whether he passed away, died under mysterious circumstances or was murdered, remains unresolved. The way Colter approaches his work, the choices he makes, are directly connected to what he went through as a child. The trauma, the unanswered questions, they shape everything he does. In that sense, I think there’s definitely a comparison to Kevin Pearson on “This Is Us.” And, you know, I’ve kind of made it a thing: I don’t do projects unless the dad dies.

You’ve directed before on “This Is Us” and “Smallville.” Do you see yourself directing an episode of “Tracker” next season or in the future?

The thing about “Tracker” that’s different from “This Is Us” and “Smallville” as well, is that my character is in so many of the scenes. I’d love to direct, as long as it doesn’t take away from the production or the limited time we have on set.

I don’t know if it will happen next year. Maybe. But again, it would need to be set up properly.

What have you watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone you know?

There’s just so much good television out there right now. My wife and I watch most of these together. “Mayor of Kingstown” [Paramount+] — Jeremy Renner is amazing in it, and the whole cast is just incredible. I love that show. For something a bit lighter but still really entertaining, “The Residence” [Netflix] is fantastic. My friend Susan [Kelechi Watson] is in it, and she’s absolutely brilliant. “Paradise” [Hulu] — my friend Sterling [K. Brown], my brother, is in that. He’s fantastic. James Marsden is fantastic, the whole cast really delivers. “1923” [Paramount+] — I loved that. It’s got two really solid seasons, limited series style, but really well done. And then “Reacher” [Prime Video] — my friend Alan [Ritchson] plays Jack Reacher and does a great job. That show’s a lot of fun.

What’s your go-to comfort watch, the film or TV show you return to again and again?

I actually just watched this again last night, for probably the fourth night in a row. I’ve probably seen it over a hundred times. I could quote the entire movie. “As Good as It Gets” [VOD]. I think it’s probably the best movie ever made, in every way.