Expresso TV and OTT Shows News Update at 6:30 pm on 21 February 2023

Let's begin with our top story. Netflix has unveiled the teaser for its upcoming Bridgerton spin-off series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Taking to Instagram, Netflix wrote, “A love story that changed the world. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, streaming May 4 only on Netflix. Save the date.” Fans flooded the comments section with red hearts and fire emoticons. “Can’t say how much I’ve waited for this,” a fan commented. Another wrote, “Can’t wait.” Golda Rosheuvel will be seen portraying the role of the titular queen, with India Amarteifio as a young Charlotte. Arsema Thomas will be making her TV debut as a young Agatha Danbury, friend and confidant of Charlotte when her majesty needed guidance the most.

Up next, the first teaser of season 3 of Apple TV Plus’ hit show Ted Lasso is out. The show airs on March 15, and more of that Lasso brand of positivity and belief is going to flood our screens again. In the short promo, we see Ted, played by Jason Sudeikis, entering the locker room to find multiple charts with the word ‘believe’. But before that, we are given a glimpse of the football players who write ‘believe’ on chart paper and hold it for the camera. Later, Ted enters and remarks, “Well, if seeing is believing, I believe we have been seen.” Ted Lasso had won multiple Emmys in several categories, including Best Actor and Best Comedy Series.

Meanwhile, Maharana, a Disney Plus Hotstar series on the life of Maharana Pratap, will see Gurmeet Choudhary play the titular role. On Wednesday, Feb 15th, the first teaser was revealed, showcasing the warrior king as a Lord Shiva devotee who went on to become a folk hero in India. Ridhima Pandit will play the role of Maharani Ajabde in Maharana. Talking about bagging Maharana, Gurmeet said, “It’s an honour to work on a project that is connected to the roots of India. Maharana Pratap was known for his courage and bravery, I am very happy to get a chance to know more about his life. It is also a challenge to portray a strong character like Maharana Pratap himself.”

Adarsh Gourav made waves internationally after he received a BAFTA nomination for his work in Ramin Bahrani’s 2021 film The White Tiger. The Hostel Daze actor will soon be seen in the Apple TV Plus show Extrapolations. The show has an impressive star cast which includes Meryl Streep, Sienna Miller, Kit Harington, Edward Norton, Yara Shahidi, Matthew Rhys, Gemma Chan, David Schwimmer, and Marion Cotillard, among others. The trailer of the show introduced the audience to a world where climate change has left the human race fighting for its existence. Talking about Extrapolations, Adarsh Gourav said, “I’m elated to be part of this project and grateful I will be working alongside some of the very best in the business.”

In other news, the trailer of the Netflix web series Rana Naidu, touted to be a ‘mass entertainer’, was released on Wednesday, Feb 15th. Starring Rana Daggubati and Venkatesh in the lead roles, the series is an adaptation of the popular American drama Ray Donovan. While the trailer looks promising, it is the coming together of the uncle-nephew jodi of Venkatesh and Rana that has piqued the interest of fans. Talking about working with Venkatesh, Rana said, “From the time I made it in my career, I knew I would do this at some point in my life. And I couldn’t have asked for anything better than Rana Naidu, these filmmakers, and Netflix. So, I am very happy.”

Social media sensation Bhuvan Bam was the latest guest on Desi Vibes with Shehnaaz Gill. As Bhuvan got comfortable on the seat, Shehnaaz asked him why he came on the show. With a big smile, he shared it’s all about ‘vibes’. He said though he’s never met Shehnaaz, he felt connected to her and the vibe of the show, and thus he said yes. Shehnaaz also played a fun game of ‘This and That’ with Bhuvan, where he picked content over controversies and YouTube over acting. They also indulged in a round of ‘Guess the Object’ where he touched some items blindfolded to guess the object.

Moving on, the latest season of MasterChef India has become a topic of social media debate. Recently, while all the contestants were asked to cook with fish as the protein option; a home cook Aruna Vijay was offered paneer as an alternative on religious grounds. While a few lauded the show for respecting the values of the contestant, the move did not go down well with many as they swarmed Twitter calling out judges for partiality. They also discussed how others, like plant-based cook Priya Vijan and another vegetarian Baa, had to cook with eggs and were asked to step out of their comfort zone. They added the decision was unfair to the evicted home cooks Baa and Priya.

Lastly, in the latest promo of Shark Tank India 2, the founders of Neuphony introduced their smartwatch. The judges are quite impressed and Namita Thapar enquired about the accuracy of their product. The founders claimed the accuracy is 98%. The second pitch was by Holokitab, which uses augmented reality to give school books and other general books a 3D touch. The third pitch was Amrutam, an Ayurvedic lifestyle brand. After listening to all the pitches, Namita Thapar was seen making an offer to Neuphony. However, Anupam Mittal made a different offer saying, “I have given you the offer to invest in your company and make it big. And they offer to invest in your company and make their company big.”

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