You didn’t know that Clara Seger of “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” and Emily Prentiss of “Criminal Minds” are former colleagues? Don’t feel bad: Until “Clara” was given the story, she didn’t, either. Alana De La Garza was surprised – and pleasantly so, since it meant she’d be working closely with Emily’s portrayer, Paget Brewster – in making the Wednesday, May 3, crossover episode of CBS’ “Beyond Borders” spinoff. Holding to the show’s international scope, the characters reteam in Taiwan, where a notorious serial killer they investigated many years earlier in New York appears to have resurfaced ... and may be killing again. “She is so much fun,” the lively, friendly De La Garza says of Brewster. “Honestly, she’s a lovely human, funny and easy and a dream to work with. We had a really good time, and I love our characters’ back story. We were just as surprised about that when we read the script as the audience will be. We were like, ‘Oh, cool! So that’s how we know each other.’ I love integrating the two teams and their histories. Those friendships are stronger and tighter.” The May 3 story also provides more insight into Clara’s own past, and De La Garza reflects, “It’s really neat this season, the way the writers have given all the characters a life. This is probably one of my favorite episodes, selfishly, because you come to know what makes Clara tick. I knew the heartbreak she came from, losing her husband, and the friendships she had with people like Jack and Mae (the Gary Sinise and Annie Funke ‘Beyond Borders’ characters) ... but I did not know her connection to Paget’s character, so it was nice to dig into that. “So often on procedurals, you don’t really have that opportunity,” adds De La Garza. “It’s about the case of the week and ‘who done it’ and solving it, so I particularly liked this.” Birthdate: June 18, 1976 Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio Current residence: Southern California Marital status: Married; has two children Other television credits include: “Scorpion,” “Forever,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” “Do No Harm,” “Deadly Hope,” “CSI: Miami,” “The Book of Daniel,” “Charmed,” “Smallville,” “The Mountain,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Las Vegas,” “JAG,” “All My Children” Movie credits include: “You Are Here,” “Mr. Fix It” On the relatively hasty return of “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” in March: “It’s always tricky when you’re just jumping in and going for the gold, so it’s nice that people could find us ... and that we are right after the mother ship (‘Criminal Minds’), which is our intended audience.”
Checking in with
Favorite movie: “I love ‘The Green Mile,’ and I like ‘The Goonies.’ ”
ALANA DE LA GARZA
Favorite television series you’re not in: “We watch ‘Outlander.’ That’s a cool one.” Favorite singer: “Ray LaMontagne ...and Adele, I’m totally into. And Ed Sheeran is one of those who just makes you want to stop and listen.”
BY JAY BOBBIN
Net Picks “Sense8: Season 2,” www.netflix.com/ title/80025744 Season 2 of Netflix’s popular sci-fi drama drops Friday with 10 episodes and picks up where the first season left off, with the sensates on the run from Whispers (Terrence Mann) and forced to question their very identity. It’s a battle for survival as the eight must find a way to live with, understand and protect one another. Toby Onwumere, Tina Desai and Tuppence Middleton star.
Muskogee Phoenix
“Fixer Upper: Behind the Design,” www.hgtv. com/shows/fixer-upperbehind-the-design
“Epic Studios,” www. youtube.com/playlist?list PLP9xRhDkZZ2yihJfFP4Q VlKTbNQGn6rE9
Fans of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” will want to check out this new web-exclusive companion series that gives a behind-thescenes look at each project and offers detailed insights into the design strategies, decorating and staging that go into the home-makeovers featured in the main series.
Lloyd Ahlquist (“Epic Rap Battles of History”) is the creative force behind this 13-episode musical comedy series in which he also stars as a man who inherits a recording studio and is forced to work with its ragtag group of employees if he is to keep the business afloat.
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“The Mars Generation,” www.netflix.com/ title/80117263 A future journey to Mars forms the backdrop for this Netflix original documentary that follows a group of teen trainees at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., as they prepare to become the engineers, astrophysicists and astronauts of tomorrow. Along the way, viewers will also get an inside look at the architecture of the modern space race from the perspectives of the public and private sectors.
April 30 - May 6, 2017