PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
An untitled comedy created, written by and starring David Hornsby and Blake Anderson, is in development at CBS. Hornsby created and stars in CBS’ How to Be a Gentleman; Anderson is the co-creator and star of Comedy Central’s Workaholics. Story follows a high-strung father (Hornsby) who has to adapt to new family dynamics when his ex-wife marries a younger, free-spirited guy (Anderson) who becomes the stepdad to his children.
Fox put in development Breadwinners, from actor Kyle Bornheimer (Casual, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), who will star, and Ben Sutor, who co-created Where’s the Money. Story follows an out of work dad who decides to try and reinvent himself as a chef and dives into the foodie revolution, dragging his family along.
Michelle Ashford, the Emmy-winning creator and exec producer of Showtime’s Masters of Sex, signed an overall deal with FX Productions.
Travel Channel greenlit production on a series starring Expedition Unknown host Josh Gates. The new 13-ep Legendary Locations will chronicle the tales and secrets of the most storied places on earth.
CBS drama series S.W.A.T. resumed production yesterday in Santa Clarita, CA. Production had been detained for two days due to Rye wildfire burning in the vicinity. Production on HBO’s Westworld also was curtailed on Tuesday due to the fire.
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
USA Network will debut series NFL Football Fanatic with back-to-back episodes on Monday, January 1 at 11p after WWE RAW. The eight-ep series follows Scottish-born Darren McMullen (The Voice Australia) as he embarks on a journey across the US to delve deep into the NFL culture and find a team to call his own.
Nope, it’s not about the car. Discovery’s new series Tesla, premiering Tuesday, January 2 at 10p, probes the mysteries surrounding genius inventor Nikola Tesla’s death, and the equally mysterious disappearance of his files and research. The series features the engineer leading a team building and Tesla’s most deadly invention – the Death Ray.
Whitney Thore is back for a fourth season of TLC’s My Big Fat Fabulous Life, premiering Tuesday, January 2 at 8p. This season, Whitney is reeling from a heartbreaking relationship, she’s at odds with one of her close friends and her best friend is having a baby.
A&E series 60 Days In returns Monday, January 1 for a new season.
The Amazing Race returns to CBS Wednesday, January 3 at 8p for, wait for it, its milestone 30th season. More than 600 Racers have traveled more than 1 million miles in 29 seasons. Teams this season include IndyCar drivers Alexander Rossi and Conor Daly; retired NBA All-Stars Cedric Ceballos and Shawn Marion; and X-Games champions Kristi Leskinen and Jen Hudak.
Less barking, more wagging. WAGS Atlanta (Wives and Girlfriends of Sports Stars Atlanta) premieres on E! on Wednesday, January 3 at 10p.The latest incarnation of the series follows the relationships and glam lifestyles of nine tight-knit Atlanta-based wives and girlfriends of professional athletes.
COMING UP
This morning CBS News will introduce new series, Profiles in Service, featuring people who dedicate their lives to helping others. In the first installment, CBS This Morning co-host Norah O’Donnell visits the US Military Academy at West Point to speak with Simone Askew, who made history as the first black woman to serve as first captain, the highest-ranking student leading a 4,400-member Corps of Cadets.
WGN America is going nostalgic for the season with a “M*A*S*H-athon” beginning Saturday, December 9 at 9a. The programming block will feature 19 hours of the comedy classic.
Univision Deportes will deliver live the 2017 MLS Cup, this Saturday, December 9 at 3p. In a rematch of last year’s championship game, Seattle Sounders FC will take on Toronto FC.
Cable news satire special The Fake News with Ted Nelms, starring Ed Helms, premieres Wednesday, December 13 at 10p on Comedy Central.
Labor union organizer and leader William Lucy will be honored with the NAACP Chairman’s Award during the 49th NAACP Image Awards, airing live as a two-hour special on TV One on Monday, January 15 at 9p. The telecast will include red carpet coverage.
DIGITAL DATA
Digi comedy series Now We’re Talking, produced, written by and starring Tommy Dewey and Tug Coker, will have an eight-ep second season on go90.
Documentary film Circus Kid, which captures Lorenzo Pisoni’s unique childhood growing up in a circus family, will exclusively premiere on Sundance Now beginning December 21. The film is produced by Jon Hamm, Jennifer Westfeldt and Eden Wurmfeld, directed by Pisoni and exec-produced by Daniel Radcliffe and Karen Lehner.
IFC acquired new digital series The Place We Live, and videos created by Sisters Weekend in addition to launching a new original short film, Celebrity All-Star. All are available to watch on the Comedy Crib, the net’s online hub for original, short-form comedy.
420TV, the cannabis news, entertainment and lifestyle OTT channel set to launch in early 2018, acquired a new, first-run animated series from David Silverman, longtime director of The Simpsons. Super Slackers is touted as “a ridiculous comedy about a group of lazy friends unwittingly thrust into the life of superheroes.”
The Media Rating Council released new standards for digital audience-based measurement that introduce the concept of duration weighting viewability for digital video ads and lay the groundwork for the MRC’s cross-media measurement standards, which are under development. MRC is providing for a one-year grace period for accredited audience measurement services to comply with these new standards.
T Group Productions is acquiring Big Boots Studios, an outfit focused on engagement platforms, i.e., entertainment and social media experiences rooted in the digital space.
KIDS NEWS
Odd Squad: World Turned Odd, a new one-hour movie from Fred Rogers Co.’s PBS Kids series Odd Squad, will bow on January 15. The special follows the antics that ensue after agents Oona, Olympia and Otis accidentally change the past and undo every odd case Odd Squad ever solved. A sneak peek of PBS Kids’ newest upcoming series Pinkalicious & Peterific, which premieres February 19, will air after the movie.
Cartoon Network’s OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes will get a second season, slated for 2018. The storytelling, gaming and animation mashup was developed in tandem with a like-titled console video game, expected to launch on PlayStation4, Xbox One and Windows PC via Steam in early 2018.
In other Cartoon news, the network is expanding its Stop Bullying: Speak Up campaign via a partnership with 826 National to launch Storytelling Project, which encourages youth to share their stories about kindness and empathy. The Project comprises inclusion-themed writing workshops for elementary and middle school students; the lessons created through the project will be made available to teachers everywhere in 2018 via 826 Digital, the 826 National’s pay-what-you-wish online platform of resources for educators.
Toonz Media Group, the international animation production company based in India, launched Chotoonz TV on Roku streaming players and Roku TVs in the US. Chotoonz TV is one of Toonz’s most popular channels.
CARRIAGE & DISTRIBUTION
Fuse Media announced a carriage agreement renewal with DISH Network for the FM network.
London-based social media company Viasat World inked a content agreement with ITV Studios Global Entertainment, securing 250 hours of period drama content that will have first run exclusivity in select markets via Viasat’s new flagship content brand, Epic Drama.
GLOBAL GOINGS-ON
Fusion Media Group is expanding into Latin America through a new multi-platform agreement, spanning digital and television, with Grupo Televisa S.A.B. Televisa acquired a license to the brands and content from FMG’s collection of digital publications for Mexico and will launch a new Fusion-branded 24-hour cable network, Fusion MX, in Spanish.
