Thursday June 24, 2021

Today’s Premieres
ABC: When Nature Calls With Helen Mirren at 8p
NBC: Making It at 8p

Peacock: Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell

Today’s Finales:
CBS: United States of AI at 8:30 and Clarice at 10p
CW: Legacies at 9p
HGTV: Happily Wherever at 11p
TBS: Conan at 10p
UPtv: Bringing Up Bates at 9p

IN THE NEWS

As had been rumored, ViacomCBS announced another reorg, this time setting the leadership team for its global streaming business. Tanya Gile, currently GM of MTV Entertainment Group, is elevated as a “centralized head” to lead all content strategy for Paramount+ and Pluto TV globally as chief programming officer, streaming. In other moves, George Cheeks, CBS president/CEO, will also serve as chief content officer, News & Sports, Paramount+. Jim Gianopulos, chairman/CEO, Paramount Pictures, will also serve as chief content officer, movies, Paramount+. Bruce Gillmer, president of music, music talent, programming & events, adds the title chief content officer, music, Paramount+. Chris McCarthy, president, MTV Entertainment Group, will also serve as chief content officer, unscripted entertainment and adult animation, Paramount+, while David Nevins, chairman/CEO, Showtime Networks, will also serve as chief content officer, scripted originals, Paramount+. Nicole Clemens will broaden her responsibilities as president, Paramount Television Studios, to include president, Paramount+ original scripted series, and Brian Robbins, president, Kids & Family Entertainment, will also serve as chief content officer, Kids & Family, Paramount+.

“The moves we are making today will accelerate that mission by putting ViacomCBS’ most powerful assets—world-class content, iconic brands, global infrastructure and expertise, and the best talent in the business today—behind our platforms as we pursue the global opportunity in streaming,” said Bob Bakish, President and CEO, ViacomCBS. “Together, our leaders will ensure that we’re delivering to audiences the very best our streaming platforms have to offer, with must-watch content across every genre and market we operate in.”

Netflix gets the icing on the proverbial cake, scoring “Unfrosted,” a comedic film directed by and starring Jerry Seinfeld, about the creation of the Pop-Tart that Seinfeld co-wrote with Spike Feresten and Barry Marder inspired by a stand-up joke he told about the invention of the treat. Seinfeld has had a relationship since 2017 with the streamer, which emerged victorious in a days-long auction for the project.

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A feather in its cap: In a significant benchmark, Peacock will launch on Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablets in the US, starting today (June 24). The Fire family reaches more than 50 million US households, and lack of a distribution deal was the last remaining gap in the streamer’s distribution universe, following parent NBCU’s recent deal with Samsung.

It may have been all the binging rage early in the pandemic, but “Tiger King” did not come off as advertised to one of its protagonists—Carole Baskin. In a new interview during the podcast “Tea With Dr. V,” Baskin slammed the Netflix docuseries for portraying her as a murderer, and says the series led to her receiving death threats while the show’s main subject, Joe Exotic, was shown under a gentler lens even as he sat in prison. The show “was totally not what we had been told the series was going to be about,” she told celebrity shrink Venus “Dr. V” Nicolino.

Out In Hollywood, a burgeoning industry group advocating for the film and television industries to create more LGBTQ+-inclusive stories, curated by out studio/network executives and producers, launched the inaugural Out Loud List of what it deems the best unproduced pilot scripts that center on stories of queer characters. Released to coincide with Pride Month, the Out Loud List is set to become an annual initiative. Out In Hollywood is also developing industry panels and mentorship opportunities.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 29-12 yesterday to advance the first of a handful of bills aimed at big tech. The bill, widely viewed as the least controversial of the six being considered, would increase merger filing fees to give the government more money to enforce antitrust laws.

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Simon Cowell is heading back to the music competition stage, this time fronting a six-ep show that combines talent and gaming elements as singers decide whether to stay in the competition or cash out. From Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, “Walk the Line” will be produced for ITV in partnership with Lifted Entertainment and is on track to premiere later this year.

Hannah Fidell, who created Kate Mara-starring drama “A Teacher” for FX, signed a first-look deal with FX Productions. “A Teacher,” a hit for the network since it debuted in November, is based on Fidell’s indie feature drama.

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HGTV gave the green light to “Married To Real Estate” (working title), featuring property pros and married couple Egypt Sherrod (“Property Virgins”) and Mike Jackson. Slated to air in early 2022, the series will feature eight one-hour eps that follow the duo as they juggle their professional and personal lives.

Showtime renewed “Couples Therapy” for an extended two-part third season. The show, from filmmakers Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg and Eli Despres, and featuring psychologist Dr. Orna Guralnik, will sit down with fresh sets of couples in each installment.

Dan Harmon (“Rick and Morty”) and Nathan Pyle, creator of “Strange Planet,” are teaming to adapt Pyle’s web series and graphic novels as an animated series for Apple TV+. With a straight-to-series order, the series will feature the dazzling blue aliens from Pyle’s universe, which has a lot in common with Earth. Apple Studios and ShadowMachine (“Bojack Horseman”) are producing.

In related news, Jordan Young, previously enmeshed on “The Simpsons” and other animated fare including “BoJack Horseman” and “Son of Zorn,” is in as showrunner and exec producer of Dan Harmon’s Fox animated comedy series “Krapopolis.”

On tap from Disney+ is UK scripted rom-com action series “Wedding Season.” According to Deadline the project, which is close to getting the green light, hails from “The Salisbury Poisonings” producer Dancing Ledge Productions and Jax Media, the production company behind “Emily In Paris.” The series is penned by Oliver Lyttelton, the breakout writer behind BBC Studios’ upcoming series “Cheaters.”

Ahead of the season 2 finale, BYUtv picked up “The Wizard of Paws” for a third season. Filming for the new season, slated to premiere in 2022, will take series lead Derrick across the country as well as to Thailand to once again bring hope to animals.

Vice Media Group and the Telus Fund revealed the three shortform docuseries that will be heading into production this summer as part of the Telus-funded “Take Care” content incubator focused on elevating the mental wellbeing of young Canadians. Slated to debut this fall are “Bad at This,” about people who suck at things and do them anyway; “Breaking Ground,” which explores the narratives of Asian Canadian youth; and “Living in Flow,” about six youth to whom water has become essential in facing different mental health challenges.

NEW + RETURNING SERIES

“The Dog House: UK” returns for a second season on HBO Max on Thursday, July 8. Set inside a rural British animal rescue center known for its commitment to matching homeless dogs with eager owners, the series captures the joy and complexity of the human-dog “dating” experience.

HBO’s six-ep limited series “The White Lotus,” a social satire that takes place at an exclusive Hawaiian resort, debuts Sunday, July 11 at 9p. From Mike White (“Enlightened”), the series follows the vacations of various hotel guests over the span of a week, as darker complexities behind the picture-perfect scene begin to emerge. Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge and Alexandra Daddario star.

Upcoming on Acorn TV are season 5 of “The Heart Guy,” premiering Monday, July 26, and new series “Outlier,” debuting Monday, July 19, following the story of a criminal psychologist on the trail of the murderer of young girl who’s found killed at a camping resort.

At ALLBLK’s “TS Madison Experience” premieres Thursday, July 1. The social media star turns her sights to her next goal—becoming the first black, trans woman to host a mainstream talk show.

“Deadliest Catch: Bloodline,” starring captains Josh Harris and Casey McManus, swims back to Discovery at 9p and Discovery+ on Tuesday, July 20. Armed with new leads, Josh and Casey will head back to the Big Island.

The official trailer and key art for Disney+’s “Turner & Hooch” dropped, heralding the Wednesday, July 21 premiere of the classic story as a series about a buttoned-up US Marshal who inherits a big unruly dog and soon realizes the dog he didn’t want may be the partner he needs. Series stars Josh Peck as Scott Turner, son of Detective Scott Turner portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 1989 film. Hanks’ character appears to get killed off in the trailer.

Apple released the official trailer for “Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson,” a six-part docuseries that examines sound creation and the revolutionary tech that helps shape music. From Academy Award-winning producer Morgan Neville (“20 Feet from Stardom”) and hosted by the Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globes winner, the series features Paul McCartney, Questlove, King Princess and Dave Grohl, among others, and debuts Friday, July 30 on Apple TV+.

Amazon-owned IMDb TV set Friday, August 6 as the premiere date for “Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary,” a five-part docuseries about the country star and “American Idol” judge. The streamer also released a trailer for the series, which follows Bryan via home videos, interviews and personal footage as he experiences triumphs and tragedies along the road to success.

COMING UP

“LFG (Let’s F*cking Go),” which centers on the US women’s national soccer team’s public, and controversial, fight for equal pay, bows today (June 24) on HBO Max. The film, from Abby Greensfelder’s Everywoman Studios “was a no-brainer for Everywoman Studios’ first project because it gave us the chance to delve deep into the issue of pay parity through the intimate lens of these world-class athletes, some of the most inspiring individuals on the planet,” Greensfelder tells Cynopsis. “It’s a story that transcends the world of sports, and all of us at Everywoman are honored to have worked with the US Women’s Team and our incredible partners and filmmakers Andrea and Sean Fine, and Propagate Content. We’re hopeful that the film leads to a broader conversation around equal pay.”

All three parts of Peacock original docuseries “Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell” land today (June 24) on the streamer. Produced by Blue Ant Studios, the series investigates the British socialite known for her association with financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“The People Vs. Agent Orange,” the final documentary this season of Independent Lens on PBS, premieres Monday, June 28. The film follows two women, one American and one French-Vietnamese, and their mutual bond to hold the chemical industry accountable for a devastating legacy.

Paramount+ and MTV Entertainment Studios are cooking up a very Pride-ful crossover. The fierce queens of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the OG cast members of “The Brady Bunch” are coming together for a special on Wednesday, June 30 on Paramount+. “Dragging The Classics: The Brady Bunch” will also feature appearances from RuPaul and Michelle Visage.

ShortsTV will air a salute tobeloved primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall on Saturday, July 3 at 9:30p. In honor of Goodall’s recent 2021 Templeton Prize, “Trio: Jane’s Music of Life” is a story about friendship, love of nature and passion for music.

Peacock is launching a Tokyo Olympics destination on Thursday, July 15, featuring live coverage of some the Games’ biggest events including gymnastics, track & field and basketball. The streamer also will feature new daily live shows—including a recap show featuring Kevin hart and Snoop Dogg—original programming, Olympics channels, full event replays and curated highlights of NBC Olympics’ coverage.

STREAMING SNIPPETS

Documentary+, a global, nonfiction streaming platform, set its July slate of programming. Among newly available content are 2003 doc “Born Rich” (July 2) which examines kids of extremely wealthy families; and “My Little Pony” fan convention insider “A Brony Tale.”

TECH TALK

MNTN acquired Ryan Reynolds’ and George Dewey’s creative advertising shop Maximum Effort Marketing. The adtech company, which has been rising fast in the connected TV realm, will retain its identity and continue to operate as a creative agency within MNTN, with Reynolds now set to become MNTN’s chief creative officer. Dewey will serve as chief brand officer and maintain his role as Maximum Effort’s president.

ATTN: is launching a studio on TikTok that provides consulting, creative and production services for brands that want to reach diverse audiences on the platform. Partners at launch include Geico, Google, Madewell, MTV and Unilever.

Evan Shapiro, former head of cable nets IFC and Pivot and more recently making a name across socials for his detailed maps on the media and gaming universes, is launching a dark comedy series to be hosted as a NFT on the Macroverse platform. “Darkland,” which launches in mid-July, offers a multi-page experiences across devices and enables creators to launch books on the platform. The project represents an evolution in the nonfungible token-verse as NFTs typically have been available only as single entities.

Playdemic, the mobile games studio behind Golf Clash, has a new owner. AT&T and WarnerMedia sold the company to Electronic Arts for $1.4 billion in cash in the latest round of deal-making leading up to WarnerMedia’s move to the Discovery fold. The remaining Warner Bros. Games portfolio is expected to land at Discovery post-merger.

Audible inked an exclusive multiproject development deal with Kenya Barris and his production company, Khalabo Ink Society. Projects from the collaboration will range across genres including original scripted multicast fiction, unscripted nonfiction, audio-documentary, and journalistic audio.

YouTube scored a win in the EU this week. The European Court of Justice ruled
the company and other Internet platforms are not liable for copyright-protected content users upload, but it noted a platform operator still could be found liable for copyright infringement if it “has specific knowledge that protected content is available illegally on its platform and refrains from expeditiously deleting it or blocking access to it.”

KIDS NEWS

A new season of mayhem arrives with season 2 of “Looney Tunes Cartoons,” which bows Thursday, July 8 on HBO Max.

Sesame Workshop is dropping new content on the “ABCs of Racial Literacy” as part of Coming Together, an ongoing racial justice initiative to help kids and families talk about race and racism.

APC Kids’ “First Day,” which is aimed at children 5-9 and follows the life of transgender youth, is headed to France Televisions. Created by Julie Kalceff, the series is set to air on France Televisions and Okoo platform this fall.

DISTRIBUTION & CARRIAGE

Black News Channel, the news network committed to covering the unique perspectives, challenges and successes of Black and Brown communities, is launching this week on Verizon Fios TV. The Fios TV addition brings 3.7 million subscribers to BNC, which during the past 12 months has grown 1,800 percent.

INSP is now available on Sling TV, marking mark the seventh vMVPD service to carry the network. In addition, Dish subscribers can now access the family-friendly, western-themed network in high definition.

CASTING

Cherrelle Skeete (“Hanna”) joined Sky Original drama series “The Midwich Cuckoos,” alongside Keeley Hawes (“Bodyguard”) and Max Beesley (“The Outsider”)… Cesar Domboy (“Outlander”) boarded Steven Knight’s (“Peaky Blinders”) new series “SAS: Rogue Heroes” in a supporting role… Kamal Bolden and Noah Bean landed male lead roles opposite Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathe in NBC’s untitled bank heist drama pilot.

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EXECUTIVE MOVES

WarnerMedia has appointed Suja Viswesan as head of data. Prior to joining WarnerMedia, Viswesan served as director of engineering at LinkedIn.

Entertainment One hired Gabriel Marano as an EVP of scripted television. Marano most recently was a senior VP of drama programming and development at Fox.

Out-of-home software company Alfi appointed Christopher Whalen to VP of national sales. Whalen previously served as VP of national sales for Starlite Media.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
In which drama series did Christian Slater play two roles? “My Own Worst Enemy” (2008). Kudos to: Jordan Bienstock-E.W. Scripps/Atlanta; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NY; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Randall Bosley-Studio Talent Group/Santa Monica; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank; Gary Moglovkin-CBS TV Studios/Studio City, CA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA; David Westberg-SAG*AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
Who voiced the title character in Showtime’s gay adult animated comedy “Queer Duck” (2000-04)? Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)