Tonight’s Finales
Fox: The Masked Singer at 8p
Freeform: Motherland: Fort Salem at 9p
ID: Deadly Recall at 10p

Fox renewed comedy Last Man Standing for a third season on the net (and ninth overall), and medical drama The Resident for season four. “The Resident and Last Man Standing are such important parts of Fox, and we’re so pleased they will be returning next season,” said Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn. Last Man Standing averages over 8 million multiplatform viewers, while The Resident averages nearly 10 million.

Freeform picked up second seasons of Everything’s Gonna Be Okay and Motherland: Fort Salem. Grown-ish, which had its mid-season finale in March, will wait until 2021 to wrap season three. The debut of new psychological thriller Cruel Summer was also pushed to next year, along with the season three debut of Good Trouble. Limited scripted series Love in the Time of Corona goes into production this summer for an August launch, while The Bold Type returns Thursday, June 11 at 10p.

Sherri Shepherd is joining Fox’s syndicated talker, Dish Nation, as co-host. “What sets Dish Nation apart from other entertainment news is its humor, and Sherri Shepherd is one of the funniest ladies in the business,” said Stephen Brown, EVP of Programming and Development at Fox. Shepherd, who has guested on Dish Nation in the past, appeared on The View from 2007-2015, and co-stars in Netflix comedy Mr. Iglesias.

ViacomCBS presented the second half of its “Simply Stronger” virtual upfront, this time focused on CBS, CBS All Access, sports and news. The company offered clips and creators’ deep dive looks into the new comedy and two new dramas that will accompany 23 returning series on CBS. Debuting in the fall will be Chuck Lorre and Marco Pennette Thursday night laugher B Positive, along with Sunday drama reboot The Equalizer, starring Queen Latifah. Silence of the Lambs follow-up drama Clarice will arrive later in the season, along with S.W.A.T. and Undercover Boss. The presentation also offered a peek at CBS All Access offerings, including Star Treks Picard and Discovery; The Good Fight; The Twilight Zone; Interrogation (“Not your ordinary binge watch”); Why Women Kill; and Stephen King’s The Stand. The Super Bowl was set for February 7.

Wendy Williams is taking a break from her daytime talk show, as a precautionary measure related to fatigue caused by Graves’ disease. Williams had been filming her show from home during the production shutdown. Williams took a hiatus in 2018 and again last year.

A century’s worth of data indicates cutting ad spend during economic upheaval is detrimental to long-term and short-term financial success, according to VAB’s report, “Keep Calm and Advertise On: How to Successfully Navigate Your Brand Through Economic Downturn.” Key findings include:
* Companies that maintained their ad budgets during the 1974-75 recession realized a 50% higher sales index than those who cut spending in both years of the recession.
* Brands that increased advertising investment by 20-100% during the 1980 recession saw a 4.5x increase in market share over those that decreased spending.During the 2008-09 recession, brands including Amazon, Walmart, T-Mobile, General Mills and Hershey’s increased their TV investment, resulting in increases in sales or growth rate during the recession period and/or in the subsequent years that followed.“
* During this time, some sectors will have no choice but to cut back advertising spend or go dark, with closures or supply chain issues making doing business impossible. However, for other categories, this is a crucial time for brands to maintain share of voice,” said Danielle DeLauro, EVP, VAB. “As evidenced by a century’s worth of data, advertisers who decrease their share of voice will experience lower profits and be required to spend more money to regain their market share.”

SmileDirectClub is suing NBCUniversal for $2.85 billion over a negative report on the teeth-straightening company that aired on NBC’s Nightly News. “SmileDirectClub is not just holding NBC accountable for its misconduct, but it is also telling its affiliated doctors and shareholders that SmileDirectClub stands by their side and will fight to protect their interests and reputations.” Responded NBC, “We stand by our reporting and believe this is a meritless claim.”

The Producers Guild and the Directors Guild are altering eligibility rules this year to allow films intended to be released theatrically, but debuted on other platforms because of the pandemic, to be able to compete in film categories. “Every aspect of our world and our lives has been affected by this pandemic – and that includes our culture,” DGA president Thomas Schlamme said. “Numerous directors who’ve spent years bringing their visions to life are grappling with the reality that their theatrical releases are canceled. And while the unfortunate circumstances of this present situation prevent those plans from coming to fruition as their films are now being distributed on other platforms, we want to ensure that our members are being recognized by their peers for their work as intended. It is in this spirit that we are allowing a rule exception for the 2021 DGA Awards.” The moves follow similar decisions by the Oscars, Golden Globes, and SAG.

OWN is in development with Lionsgate on a spin-off of Greenleaf, launching its fifth and final season on Tuesday, June 23 at 9p. The megachurch drama, from creator and executive producer Craig Wright and executive producer Oprah Winfrey, had always been envisioned as spanning five seasons, with Wright contemplating a spin-off. OWN says those plans accelerated due to expressions of support from fans after the final season was announced.

Jamie Lee Curtis inked a first look deal with Blumhouse through her Comet Pictures, for film and TV projects. “I’m 61 and my motto now is: ‘If not now, when, if not me, who?’” said Curtis.

Rob Silverstein will take the Executive Producer reins at Meredith Corp.’s daily syndicated show inspired by People magazine content, launching in fall 2020. “Rob is a Hollywood insider and veteran TV producer. He led Access Hollywood for two decades, created and launched Access Live, and produced several Emmy and Golden Globes red carpet specials,” said Gary Brown, SVP, Content for Meredith Local Media Group. “We are thrilled to have someone with Rob’s breadth of experience in this new venture into syndicated programming.”

Toronto-based Buck Productions landed a season two renewal for Cashed Out, from Reelz. The docuseries, exploring the lives and careers of A-list celebrities through the money trails they leave behind, will begin principal photography this fall and is slated for broadcast in 2021.

London-based BeaglePug Ltd. and Enriched Media Group have secured TV, film and ancillary rights to historical thriller A Treachery of Spies, by author Manda Scott. It’s the companies’ first foray into long-form TV drama.

Writer and filmmaker Armando Bó (El Presidente) has launched a new production company, About Entertainment, focused on producing elevated scripted, nonscripted, and brand-integrated content across genres. “Our goal is to encourage creative freedom as the pillar to produce truly special and unique content with storytelling at its core,” said Bó. “It’s important to back filmmakers in their quest for a distinct voice.”

Jill Leiderman is stepping down as executive producer at Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Taking over the job will be Sharon Hoffman, former EP of Entertainment Tonight and the weekend edition of CBS Evening News. “I could not be more thankful for what Jill has done for our show and could not have asked for a better partner over the past 14 years,” Kimmel said. “Her contributions to the growth of JKL are immeasurable, including finding her worthy successor Sharon Hoffman. We were very lucky to have Jill as long as we did and, while I am sad to see her go, I understand. I am sick of me too.”

Production studio UNIT9 signed director and screenwriter Maya Albanese, who has crafted work in English, Spanish and French, for brands including Disney, Warner Brothers, Chevrolet, L’Oreal, IBM, VISA, Google and more.

STREAMING SCOOP

Fubo Sports Network has launched on Pluto TV. “In challenging times like these, with many live sporting events on hold, our current channel lineup featuring classic live sporting events, news, documentaries/series and sports-themed movies, have proven to be a great alternative for fans in search of what to watch,” said Amy Kuessner, Pluto TV’s SVP, Content Strategy and Global Partnerships. “We are incredibly excited to welcome the fubo Sports Network to Pluto TV as it brings even greater dimension to our sports programming.”

With HBO Max set to launch on May 27, TV Time conducted a survey to gauge awareness and interest in subscribing to the streamer. They found:
· 69% of respondents were aware of the forthcoming service.
· Millennials had the highest level of awareness, at 73%.
· Millennials also expressed the highest level of intent to subscribe, at 26%.
· While 29% of Gen Z stated the availability of streaming Friends is Important/Very Important, among total respondents the number was 17%.
· 63% of Total Respondents cited HBO content as driving the most in the service.

The world’s most-watched YouTube channel, CoComelon, will launch on The Roku Channel. Available through the Kids & Family experience, the launch marks the first time CoComelon programming will be available outside of YouTube.

Insight TV, a provider of action sports and adventure lifestyle content for millennials, is now part of the lineup of channels available on VIZIO SmartCast TV. VIZIO SmartCast is also featuring Insight TV’s suite of digital channels, including action-focused channel inTrouble and science/technology/knowledge channel inWonder.

The Pocket.watch family is growing, and its new children’s franchise—Love, Diana, the Princess of Play—is specifically aimed at young girls. Following in the YouTube-rooted footsteps of the company’s other success stories such as Ryan’s World, the brand centers around 6-year-old Ukrainian-born Diana, who takes viewers on playful adventures, often with her brother and parents in tow. “Diana really encompasses the proven developmental benefits pretend play for girls at this age,” Chris Williams, CEO/founder of pocket.watch tells Cynopsis. “The brand represents imagination, playfulness, empowerment, creativity and friendship and those core elements that are so important to girls at this age.” Also like its Pocket.watch siblings, the franchise will encompass programming—production of 40 eps of new series Love, Diana, a live-action and animated hybrid is under way and being helmed by chief content officer Albie Hecht—consumer products and gaming, slated to roll out in Q4. All are based on Kids Diana Show, the third-largest YouTube channel in the world with 123 million-plus subscribers and more than 52 billion lifetime views since it launched in 2015. In April alone, the channel reached 178 million unique global viewers, and Diana’s network of channels, translated into nine languages, generated 4.4 billion views for the month, Williams says. For Pocket.watch, the massive scale and magnetism were important criteria for bringing Diana into the fold, as was another element. “Particularly when kids are involved, it is always important to us to only partner with those that prioritize education, globalization and family time ahead of business and making videos,” Williams says.

Reading subscription service Scribd is launching entertainment bundle “Scribd Perks” today, May 20. Included with the $9.99 monthly subscription fee, Scribd users will receive unlimited access to CuriosityStream; curated cinema service MUBI; brain training app Peak; Pandora; CONtv+ and more.

In celebration of LGBT Pride Month, Tubi is offering a range of independent LGBT films, ranging from classics like But I’m a Cheerleader, Jeffrey and Latter Days to coming-of-age titles including G.B.F. and Saved, among others. Viewers can access titles through June.

Podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, launched in 2009, will be exclusive to Spotify via a multi-year deal. The comedy talker is the most-searched-for podcast on Spotify, and will remain free to Spotify users.

TECH TALK

Oracle is expanding its Moat Measurement suite with Oracle Data Cloud to include Moat Reach, a tool that shows near real-time audience reach across digital, mobile, and TV. Moat Reach integrates Moat Analytics’ digital impression data with second-by-second TV ad viewership data from iSpot.tv against the people and households in the Oracle ID Graph. “True cross-platform measurement — understanding which real people actually receive which ads across platforms — is one of the most foundational questions of advertising,” said Kevin Whitcher, VP of product management at Oracle Data Cloud.

YouTube relaunched its premium advertising program with a “reimagination and unification” of solutions like Google Preferred and prime packs, in a new, brand-safe global content solution for brands call YouTube Select. “To help you find the right content for your brand, YouTube Select surfaces a diverse mix of content packages called lineups – each tailored to globally and locally relevant needs like beauty & fashion, entertainment, technology, sports and everything in between,” said Vishal Sharma, VP, Product Management, YouTube Ads, in a blog post. Advertisers in the US can target a dedicated streaming TV lineup that will include YouTube Originals, live sports, movies, news and content from popular creators.

Centro announced the release of new products and upgrades aimed at helping advertisers with automation and visualization for campaign reporting, workflow management and forecasting. Two key elements: A feature that reduces the time needed by agencies to collect, organize and prepare data for client “wrap-up” reports – users can auto-generate a PowerPoint showing post- or mid-campaign performance data from direct buying, programmatic advertising, paid search and paid social in a few clicks. Also, for advanced presentation creators, the platform is now connected with Google Data Studio. Campaign data from Centro’s platform now port into it, and is shared by agencies with their stakeholders online.

COMING UP

And We Go Green, a documentary focused on the rise of Formula E electric car racing and its positive impact in combating global warming, will stream exclusively in the US on Hulu starting June 4. The film is directed by Fisher Stevens (Before the Flood) and Malcolm Venville (44 Inch Chest) and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio under his Appian Way banner, along with RadicalMedia and Bloomfish Productions.

MAVTV Motorsports Network and the ARCA Menards Series are honoring military veterans with an all-day ARCA Menards marathon on May 25. “We encourage everyone to continue the observance of Memorial Day in their own special way and hope you enjoy additional quality time with family watching the most American of all sports, stock car racing,” said John Duff, Head of Content, MAVTV.

Esther Povitsky’s debut special, “Hot For My Name,” premieres on Comedy Central Friday, June 5 at 10p. In the Happy Madison-produced special, Povitsky goes home to Skokie, Illinois to understand why her unique relationship with her parents motivated her to become a comedian.

A tribute to the late Andre Harrell, founder of Uptown Records, will air commercial-free on BET and REVOLT TV while streaming on all iONE digital brands, and on Fox Soul on Sunday, May 24 at 7p. The broadcast will feature special guests Chris Rock, Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Babyface, Naomi Campbell, Lee Daniels, Robin Thicke, Russell Simmons, Kimora Lee Simmons, Clarence Avant, and more.

GOING GLOBAL

Red Arrow Studios International has inked new deals with services in Asia across its portfolio of scripted titles including Bosch, The Last Cop, The Einstein Mysteries, Departure and Let Me Go.

The Royal Television Society announced its biennial London Conference will not take place as a physical gathering for 2020. Instead, in partnership with YouTube, key sessions will be streamed for free around the original September 15 date, and will also be available on the RTS website to watch at a later date.

New versions of all3media international’s quiz formats Cash Mob and Cash Cab have been commissioned in Mongolia, and a second series of Cash at Your Door has been ordered.

London-based Scorpion TV added a slate of documentaries to its catalogue, including the 2019 BBC Storyville documentary Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth and The Great Disconnect.

Legendary Global and Library Pictures International closed a deal to co-finance and produce two seasons of Vikram Motwane’s untitled Hindi-language YA dark comedy-drama series, to be sold in India.

Spiral International has secured a pan-regional deal with Nickelodeon Latin America for the CGI animated series, Tinpo, debuting this August in Spanish and Portuguese on Nick Jr. Latin America’s edutainment app, Noggin.

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Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
The title character in which detective series had a pet ocelot? Honey West (1965-1966). Kudos to: Ken Nice-TeamPeople/Falls Church, VA, Heather Allen-WWE Corporation/Stamford, Jim Kelly-Jim Kelly Consulting/Central Islip, NY, David Rubisohn-American Public Television/Boston, Joe Leydon-Cowboys & Indians Magazine/Houston, Dan Whitford-WTTW/Chicago, John Kukla-KDFW/Dallas, Wendy Holmes-KCNC-TV/Denver, Dave Sikula-San Francisco State University/San Francisco, Patti Rodriguez-Sinclair Broadcast Group/Colorado Springs, David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA, Dan Haberer-Creo Entertainment/Playa del Rey, CA, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
Which series was set in the fictional NYPD 55th Precinct? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four responses per time zone.)