Season three of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is on Prime Video December 21. John Krasinski stars. There are eight episodes.

We spoke with Vaun Wilmott, executive producer, about Krasinski, who of course played Jim Halpert on The Office. “He brings a real humanity, a likeability, a believability to the character,” said Wilmott.

In the new season, Ryan is working as a CIA case officer in Rome when he is tipped off that the Sokol Project, a secret plan to restore the Soviet empire, is being resurrected. Ryan aims to confirm the intelligence, but things go awry and he is implicated in a larger conspiracy.

"Accused of treason, with a Red Notice out for his arrest, Jack is forced to run from his own government, if he has any hope of uncovering the rogue faction before it’s too late," said Prime Video. "Crisscrossing Europe as he is hunted by former allies and new enemies alike, Jack races against the clock to stop the cascade of destabilizing conflicts from leading to global catastrophe."

Crisscrossing Europe, indeed. The show ventures all over the globe, including Italy, Greece, Austria and the Czech Republic. Wendell Pierce portrays CIA officer James Greer and Michael Kelly plays former CIA officer Mike November. As much action as the show offers, Wilmott said it’s the quieter moments between Ryan, Greer and November that he enjoys the most. He mentioned "when things slow down and there’s a fun moment between friends."

Krasinski is an executive producer too. Wilmott called him a key voice in helping "shape the world, the storyline and the episodes" of the series.

Executive producers along with Wilmott and Krasinski are Andrew Form, Allyson Seeger, Brad Fuller and Michael Bay. Tom Clancy and Skydance Television’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Bill Bost executive produce the third season, along with Mace Neufeld and Carlton Cuse.

Author Clancy died in 2013.

Clancy's books work on the screen, Wilmott said, because of their "clear moral compass" that the viewer can get behind. "You like Jack Ryan and you root for him and support the good-versus-evil drive the character has," he said. "In today’s world, everything is gray, not black and white. It’s nice to follow a character where you know where he stands and he always tries to do the right thing, even if he has to do some wrong things to get there."

Wilmott added, "You always know his heart is in the right place." ■

A light Christmas-week schedule of TV show premieres will feature the returns of high-profile streaming series Jack Ryan and Emily In Paris.

Prime Video’s Jack Ryan will debut its third season on December 21 after a three-year hiatus. The series, based on the famed spy character from the Tom Clancy-created political-themed books and films, stars John Krasinski in the title role.

Also launching its third season on December 21 is Netflix’s Emily in Paris, starring Lily Collins as a young woman trying to find her way in Paris.

Netflix on December 23 will premiere the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, a sequel of the 2019 Knives Out mystery movie. Daniel Craig reprises his role as detective Benoit Blanc, with Edward Norton, Kate Hudson and Janelle Monae joining the cast.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of December 19 to December 25 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

December 22 – The Best Man: The Final Chapters (dramedy) – Peacock

December 22 – I Hate Suzie (comedy) – HBO Max

December 22 – Snap (sci-fi) – ALLBLK

December 25 – Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (musical movie) – Netflix

December 25 – The Witcher: Blood Origin (drama) – Netflix

Amazon Saturday released the first video trailer for the second season of its drama series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. 

The second season of the series finds CIA Officer Jack Ryan, portrayed by John Krasinski (A Quiet Place), heading down to South America to investigate a potentially suspicious shipment of illegal arms in the Venezuelan jungle. As Jack’s investigation threatens to uncover a far-reaching conspiracy, the President of Venezuela launches a counter-attack that hits home for Jack, leading him and his fellow operatives on a global mission spanning the United States, UK, Russia, and Venezuela to unravel the President’s nefarious plot and bring stability to a country on the brink of chaos, according to the streaming service.

Related: Amazon Studios Signs Development Deal with Lena Waithe

Super Bowl LII produced an exciting upset on the field as the underdog Philadelphia Eagles overcame the defending champion New England Patriots in a 41-33 shootout. 

The nail-biting game salvaged what was a so-so lineup of Super Bowl commercials, which have become as big an attraction for viewers as the football game itself. With many of the big commercials leaked prior to the game – especially those from television networks and streaming services -- it's tough for advertisers to surprise viewers with their ads, which were reported to cost more than $5 million on average for a 30-second spot.

That said, Netflix and HBO did make some news along with their Super Bowl commercial offerings. Netflix premiered a trailer for its movie The Cloverfield Paradox during the Super Bowl, and then surprised fans of the horror franchise by announcing that the film would be offered on the streaming service immediately after the Eagles-Patriots game.

The Cloverfield Paradox finished among the top 10 Super Bowl commercials that received the most attention from viewers during the game, according to research company TVision Insights.

The stunt was touted by none other than Netflix’s 13th director/producer Ava DuVernay, who tweeted last night about the surprise launch of the movie.

Woman of color-led, sci-fi thriller released worldwide day + date w/ big Netflix muscle for black director, his super producer + POC cast. No advance press, ads, trailer. Straight to the people. Gamechanger. Congrats to helmer #JuliusOnah + my dears JJ, Gugu, David. #Cloverfieldpic.twitter.com/m186Hprhqz

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) February 5, 2018

HBO also made news last night by announcing the April 11 premiere of the second season of its sci/fi western series Westworld via the series's Super Bowl trailer. The Emmy Award-winning series boasts a star-studded returning cast featuring Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright and James Marsden.

Other OTT networks stepped on the Super Bowl advertising field last night with spots for their respective new shows, including Amazon Prime, which touted its new series Jack Ryan -- based on Tom Clancy’s political/thriller novels – and Hulu, which debuted the first spot for its Castle Rock anthology series from Stephen King.

Below are the TV ads that aired during the Super Bowl:

The Cloverfield Paradox – Netflix

Westworld – HBO

Castle Rock – Hulu

Jack Ryan – Amazon

Amazon has greenlit a new series based on author Tom Clancy’s popular CIA character Jack Ryan.

The 10-episode series, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, will star John Krasinski (13 Hours, The Office) as Ryan, who uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the center of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale, according to Amazon.

Carlton Cuse (Bates Motel) and Graham Roland (Almost Human) will serve as executive producers on the series, developed by Paramount and Skydance Television.

The Jack Ryan character has been portrayed onscreen in several Hollywood projects by such actors as Alex Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine.

“We’re excited to add the Jack Ryan global franchise to our robust originals pipeline,” said Roy Price, Head of Amazon Studios in a statement. “Our customers will enjoy a compelling adaptation of the action-packed spy thriller book series, further raising the bar for the quality level of storytelling that has made Prime Video a leading destination for content.”