

Coffee Table News
Billy Hargrove Deserved Better on ‘Stranger Things’ Season 3
This post contains spoilers. If you have not watched Stranger Things Season 3, do not continue reading.
Billy Hargrove made a splash on Stranger Things Season 2 as the resident bad boy, but it wasn’t until the third season where he became fully integrated and essential to the core storyline.
In the third season, Billy rose from being a supporting character to essentially carrying the series, yet he never got the recognition he deserved.
There have been a handful of characters who I could’ve demanded justice for in the Stranger Things realm from Barb to Bob to Alexei. Trust me, they all deserve it, but Billy’s storyline especially triggered me because he was cheated from the very beginning.
He was never set up to win, and when he finally did achieve his redemption arc, it was glossed over because of a bigger death; one that admittedly, carried more weight.
I’m obviously referring to Hopper’s death.
The emotional stock of Billy’s decision to fight through the evil coursing through his body in order to save Eleven didn’t have time to sink in or resonate before the writers ripped our hearts in half by killing the hot-headed-who-always-meant-well police chief and Eleven’s dad.
But here’s why Hopper’s death shouldn’t have overshadowed Billy: there’s a huge probability that Hopper isn’t dead.
The scene following the credits showed the Russian’s referring to an “American” prisoner.
The Russians referred to Hopper as the American multiple times throughout the season, so it’s likely that Stranger Things Season 4 will be a rescue mission to save Eleven’s beloved papa.
But Billy is gone for good, and still died a secondary death.
And in his final moments, the only person who mourned him was Max, who for most of the season was forced to turn against her brother because he became the Mind Flayer’s host.
At no point did any of Max’s friends show concern over Billy nor did they try to save him from the Mind Flayer’s control. From the getgo, they rode him off as the “bad guy” because he wasn’t liked around town and accepted his fate.
Billy may have been deemed the “classic bully” and boy, he did a good job at it, but Bily wasn’t a bad guy who deserved his death.
Billy was broken and tormented.
As we saw when El tapped into his subconscious, his father was abusive and his mother abandoned him.
Instead of dealing with the trauma, Billy acted out and became a womanizer.
Read the rest of the post at TV Fanatic.
TV Preview
Luke Mitchell Joins ‘Chicago Med’ for Season 9

Let’s all give a warm welcome to a new doctor coming to Gaffney!
Chicago Med is adding Luke Mitchell to the cast, according to Deadline.
The Originals and Blindspot actor will reportedly appear as a character named Dr. Mitch Ripley, described as an “early thirtysomething male Emergency Department doctor” with a past connection to Dr. Charles, played by Oliver Platt.
Word on the street is Ripley has a “troubled background,” which is why he crossed paths with Charles back in the day… and it seems like it might lead to some friction for the two.
He will recur on the medical drama with the potential of being upgraded to a series-regular come season 10, likely pending the reaction from fans.
The former Big Sky star is set to make his debut in the premiere episode of season 9 airing on January 17.
Of course, his addition is necessary as Chicago Med said goodbye to a handful of major cast members over the course of the previous seasons, including Brain Tee who played Ethan Choi, Nick Gehlfuss who starred as Will Halstead, Guy Lockard as Dr. Dylan Scott and Asjha Cooper in the role of Vanessa Taylor.
As of now, the returning cast includes S. Epatha Merkerson (hospital head Sharon Goodwin), Marlyne Barrett (charge nurse Maggie Lockwood), Dominic Rains (Dr. Crockett Marcel), Steven Weber (Dr. Dean Archer) and Jessy Schram (Dr. Hannah Asher).
Season 9 will consist of a 13-episode season, shortened due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
La Brea
‘La Brea’ Canceled at NBC—Here’s What It Means for Season 3

La Brea has officially been canceled by NBC.
The series is gearing up for a third and final season, which will also see fewer episodes.
The news was announced on November 20, and while it’s not what fans wanted to hear, NBC is at least giving fans closure.
The final six episodes will premiere on January 9, 2024. It will be a lead-in to the season’s final two episodes of the hit fall drama Found.
The first and second seasons consisted of 10 and 14 episodes, respectively. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes then forced NBC to release the actors from their contracts.
With six episodes to tie up loose ends, let’s hope that the storyline will be wrapped up in a sufficient way that answers any and all questions and leaves fans feeling satisfied.
Zyra Gorecki, who plays Izzy, shared the news on her Instagram, writing, “I’m truly so proud of the work everyone put into #LaBrea Season 3. It was an absolute joy to be a part of. Thank you guys for all of your support these past three years.”
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The cast also includes Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Jon Seda, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chiké Okonkwo, Jack Martin, Veronica St. Clair, Rohan Mirchandaney, Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie, Tonantzin Carmelo and Michelle Vergara Moore.
La Brea was NBC’s latest sci-fi series that transported audiences and some Los Angeles residents to 10K B.C. via a mysterious sinkhole. At the center of it is the Harris family, who are eventually reunited when it’s revealed that the patriarch Gavin (Macken) has deep connections to the prehistoric timeline.
As you await the third season, here’s a little season 2 finale refresher!
Goosebumps
Is There Going to be a Season 2 of ‘Goosebumps’?

As Goosebumps wrapped up its first season on Disney+ on Nov. 17, things ended on quite a shocking cliffhanger, leading fans to question if a second season was in the works.
And it seems like season 1 is just the start as there are definitely plans to continue on with the series featuring the same cast, which includes Isa Briones, Ana Yi Puig, Zack Morris, Will Price, and Miles McKenna.
With the first chapter closed, a second chapter will explore the aftermath of Briones’ massive decision (you can read our review right here), but first, Disney+ needs to renew the season officially.
As of writing, Goosebumps has not been renewed for season 2, however, everything was created with the intention of there being additional episodes.
And naturally, since the series takes inspiration from the popular R.L. Stine novels, there’s the question of which books will be adapted next to explore the aftermath of Kanduu’s devious plan.
Disney released the first season ahead of Halloween, dropping the first five episodes all at once on October 13 before adopting a weekly release format, which kept up the intrigue.
Through the course of 10 episodes, fans created a special bond with the give teens trying to save their town of Port Lawrence from a tragedy that connected to their parent’s past and included their new high school teacher, Mr. Nathan Bratt played by Justin Long.
Once Disney renews the series and announces a premiere date (which can happen as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are over), we’ll update this post accordingly!
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