| PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Long live the queen. The Crown creator Peter Morgan shared that the hit Netflix series will get a sixth season and not wrap after season 5. The additional season won’t progress the story any further chronologically, but “will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail,” he announced. Season 6 will bring story to a close in the early 2000s.
Michelle Williams and Oscar Isaac will star in and exec produce HBO’s limited series adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s ‘70s Swedish series Scenes From a Marriage. New iteration will re-examine of love, hatred, monogamy, marriage and divorce through the lens of a contemporary American couple.
Lucy Liu will topline and produce Shana Goldberg-Meehan’s untitled workplace comedy pilot at ABC. Formerly known as Bossy, the plot follows the fierce head of a large modern furniture company who gets a new perspective when she adopts a baby.
On the heels of the highest rated season premiere in 14 years, MTV gave the green light to competition series The Challenge for a 36th season. The franchise, including its “Total Madness” iteration, continues to be a ratings win for the network.
Former Philly narcotics police officer Jeffrey Walker inked a deal with the Nacelle Co., Stone Canyon Entertainment and producer Devon Shepard (Being Mary Jane) to bring his true story to the screen. Stephen Belber (The Laramie Project) will write the script based on Walker, an African-American working to dismantle the system that during his 20-year career unfairly arrested and often killed those in the community from which he came.
Hulu ordered a 10-ep third season of Ramy, starring Ramy Youssef. The comedy, from The Carmichael Show creators Jerrod Carmichael and Ari Katcher, Ryan Welch and studio A24, follows a first-gen, Egyptian-American on a spiritual journey in his politically divided New Jersey town.
ESPN set a doc series treatment for the story of the 1986 World Series-winning run by the NY Mets, under its 30 for 30 banner. Series will chronicle the team’s exploits on and off the field, and promises hours of never seen footage.
HBO Sports and Jigsaw Productions and Our Time Projects are in production on two-part doc series Tiger, which illuminates the rise, fall and comeback of Tiger Woods. Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side) exec produces alongside Sam Pollard, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Armen Keteyian and Jeff Benedict. Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, A Private War) and Matthew Hamachek (Amanda Knox) direct. Part one will debut Sunday, December 13; part two debuts December 20.
Sister company HBO Max acquired Shell, a spec script by Jack Stanley with Max Minghella (Teen Spirit) on board to direct. Satirical horror/sci-fi project is set in the health and beauty industry, and will be produced by Automatik’s Fred Berger (La La Land, Teen Spirit), and Alicia Van Couvering, and Minghella through his Blank Tape shingle.
Ballroom competition series Legendary will twirl into a second season on HBO Max. The series, produced by Scout Productions, will bring back MC Dashaun Wesley and judges Leiomy Maldonado, Jameela Jamil, Law Roach and Megan Thee Stallion.
Tomie, based on Junji Ito’s horror manga series of the same name, is a go at Quibi. Adeline Rudolph is on board to star in the short-form series about a beautiful high school girl who goes missing, and the horrors revealed when pieces of her body are discovered scattered around a small town.
Nickelodeon greenlit a 20-ep second season of animated series It’s Pony, which follows the adventures of Annie and her best friend—an enthusiastic and carefree pony. Series is set to premiere domestically in 2021.
Russian animation shingle Riki Group is partnering with Beijing-based Joy Culture and Chinese platform Tencent Video for season 4 of animated series The Fixies. First 13 eps of the series will be completed by year’s end; the deal runs until June 2022.
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
The Incredible Dr. Pol returns for a new season Saturday, July 11 at 9p on Nat Geo Wild. This go-round, the docs continue to zoom around from critical clinic visits to emergency farm calls.
Indian Matchmaking, which follows elite Indian matchmaker Seema Taparia as she painstakingly guides millennial clients toward their perfect match, will bow on Netflix Thursday, July 16.
A rare Australian pickup for BBC One, twisty psychological thriller The Secrets She Keeps, premieres on Thursday, July 16 on Sundance Now.
Disney+ shared the trailer for upcoming Nat Geo series Rogue Trip, premiering Friday, July 24. Led by ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff and his 28-year-old son Mack, series takes viewers to nations and territories mostly known for conflict but with the ability to surprise and inspire. Colombia, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Lebanon and Ukraine are on the bucket list.
Nordic noir crime thriller Rebecka Martinsson returns for a second season on Acorn TV on Monday, July 27. Set in the remote landscapes of northern Sweden and based on Asa Larsson’s bestselling crime novels, the procedural centers on a Stockholm attorney who returns to the hometown she tried to leave behind and stays on as a public prosecutor.
It’s a good thing. Martha Stewart is bringing her home and garden skills to HGTV in the net’s newest series, Martha Knows Best. Premiering Friday, July 31, at 10p, series follows Stewart as she completes a variety of outdoor projects at her Bedford, NY, farm, joined at times by pals including Jay Leno, Snoop Dogg, Richard Gere, Lupita Nyong’o and Zac Posen.
Travel Channel invites viewers to climb aboard the crazy train as Jack Osbourne attempts to make his parents, Ozzy and Sharon, full-fledged paranormal believers in The Osbournes Want To Believe, premiering Sunday, August 2 at 10p.
Bobby Flay joins the judges’ table to challenge 16 champion chefs in new series Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay, debuting Sunday, August 9 at 9p on Food Network. The winner after the first four rounds will face off against Flay for a chance at the $50,000 prize.
Woke, the comedy based on the life of artist Keith Knight, will premiere Wednesday September 9 on Hulu. Eight-ep series follows Keef, an African-American cartoonist on the verge of mainstream success when an unexpected incident flips everything on its ear.
Fuse Media is bringing its digital original Like, Share, Dimelo to its flagship linear channel. Premiering Monday, September 21, unfiltered talk series hosted by Latina comedians Dee Nasty and Sasha Merci explores trending topics in Latinx and millennial issues.
COMING UP
Oxygen will debut Snapped: Betty Broderick on Wednesday, July 15 at 8p. Special depicts details of the murders of Broderick’s ex-husband and his new wife Linda, along with the investigation and trial that led to her 32-years-to-life sentence.
Lifetime is premiering two specials this month: The Baby Factory: Alabama, on Wednesday, July 15 at 10p, and Happily Ever Altered on Wednesday, July 22 at 10p. Former explores childbirth as cameras capture one of busiest labor and delivery units in the country. Latter shares the story of a bride and groom-to-be who embark on major physical transformations so they can be picture-perfect on their big day.
The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards have been set for a live broadcast Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 8p on CBS. The 55th incarnation, reimagined due to Covid, will be broadcast Wednesday, September 16 at 8p on the network.
ADVERTISING, ANALYTICS & BRANDS
Onsite search intelligence firm Captify launched Programmatic Search Intelligence (PSI), a new product making dynamic and live search data available to programmatic ad buyers globally and outside the parameters of search engines such as Google and Amazon. The launch is in partnership with digital ad tech company PubMatic.
Video ad tech company Unruly expanded its brand protection solution with measurement and analytics software platform DoubleVerify to the global stage. The partnership, which was extended in the US earlier this year, is now being rolled out across select markets worldwide, including the UK. As part of the deal, DoubleVerify’s fraud-filtering solution will be applied pre-bid across Unruly’s omnichannel marketplace UnrulyX. The suite also covers connected TV.
Video intelligence platform Iris.TV introduced SendtoNews to the company’s Contextual Video Marketplace. Going forward, STN’s online video platform of content will be contextually segmented by a growing list of data providers including Oracle Data Cloud, Comscore, GumGum, and Spectrum Media Services. Marketers will now be able to target STN’s billion+ monthly video views across trusted publishers in a privacy-first and brand-suitable way.
STREAMING SCOOP
The NFL and AVOD service Pluto TV extended their programming partnership in a multiyear agreement. The NFL Channel has delivered a curated version of library pro football fare as part of a one-year deal signed last August. Now without live game coverage, new content includes highlight shows to commemorate the league’s 100th anniversary season in 2019.
TECH TALK
Sony is investing $250 million in Fortnite creator Epic Games, a move that gives it a minority interest in the gaming company. The investment does not include any requirement for Epic to exclusively distribute games through PlayStation.
TikTok is under investigation by the US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission over whether the app failed to comply with a 2019 agreement to protect children’s privacy. According to Reuters, two sources said they took part in calls with the agencies to discuss, among potential violations, whether TikTok failed to delete videos and personal data from users aged 13 and under as it agreed to do in February 2019.
In celebration of the fourth season of World of Dance, NBC is partnering with Sway App through August 11 for a campaign based on AI-powered motion filters. Viewers of the show can move like the performers, with custom choreography from contestants. Each week, fans can record videos of themselves for 30 seconds to create shareable videos performing the same moves as contestants on the show.
Gen Z-focused VENN (Video Game Entertainment and News Network) unveiled a slate of original live shows leading up to its August 5 beta launch. Digital and interactive programming will be delivered live from its properties in LA and NY.
KIDS NEWS
Camp TV, a one-hour series from The WNET Group that seeks to bring the day camp experience into the living room, launches Monday, July 13, on PBS. Each ep kicks off with a welcome song, and includes a daily theme, storytelling led by Broadway performer Zachary Noah Piser (Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked) and cultural elements in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Franklin Institute, Air & Space Museum, and more.
Nickelodeon is trying a new recipe with Cake My Day, a special exec-produced by television host Rachael Ray and culinary expert Amirah Kassem that debuts Friday, July 17, at 7:30p. Hosted by Kassem, the founder of NY’s Flour Shop special gives deserving kids the opportunity to bake the birthday cake of their dreams.
HBO Max dropped a trailer for Tig N’ Seek, the animated series about an 8-year-old boy and his cat starring Myke Chilian, Rich Fulcher, Jemaine Clement and Wanda Sykes. Debut is slated for Thursday, July 23.
Discovery Family will launch new animated adventure True and the Rainbow Kingdom on Sunday, August 2 at 1p. Preschool series promises comedy, problem-solving and friendship through the adventures of a fearless 8-year-old heroine.
PODCAST POSTS
Spotify and Archie Comics entered an exclusive podcast partnership that brings Archie, Betty, Jughead and Veronica to life in the audio-sphere. Companies plan a suite of all-age content and young adult offerings.
CASTING
Javicia Leslie (God Friended Me) is set as the CW’s new Batwoman. She succeeds Ruby Rose who exited the role after the end of season 1… Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black) will topline opposite Tate Donovan and Melissa Leo in the Fox pilot Blood Relative. Tracie Thoms (Truth Be Told) and Sarah Catherine Hook (Conjuring 3) are also series regulars… Tye White (Greenleaf), Michael Benjamin Washington (Ratched), Jon Barinholtz (Superstore) and Humphrey Ker (Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet) are in as series regulars opposite Ana Gasteyer and Harriet Dyer in NBC comedy pilot, American Auto.
GOING GLOBAL
UK broadcaster ITV says during the upcoming year it will increase investment in diversity and inclusion as part of a five-pronged action plan. As a first step, the media company created the new role of group diversity and inclusion director. It also committed to increase diversity on screen.
HBO Max’s unscripted series The Dog House: UK, which focuses on finding forever homes for rejected dogs, is moving up its premiere date to Thursday, July 23.
The BBC in August will reinstitute the annual $199 license fee for UK pensioners. It delayed the change in March due to the pandemic.
French animation studio Xilam Animation secured deals with Nickelodeon for its CGI series Athleticus to air in territories in Asia Pacific, EMEA and Latin America, and for animated comedy Mr. Magoo in the UK. |
