Extra! Extra! Top TV News Of The Week: ‘You’ Renewed, Outlander Gets Premiere Date And Barbie’s Getting A Dream House Makeover
It’s time to dryclean your kilts and shine up your bagpipes!
Okay Outlander fans, we can finally get on with our lives now that we know the premiere date for Season 7 - keep scrolling for the deets! In other news, there’s been a few good renewals ordered this week, major book-to-screen adaptations coming to you soon, and a new trailer for HBO's much-anticipated Love & Death is here! — can’t wait to see what David Kelley does next!
Top 5 TV News Stories Of The Week!
‘Butch & Sundance’ Amazon Series To Star Bridgerton’s Regé Jean Page
A series inspired by the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is headed to Amazon Prime with stars Regé Jean Page of Bridgertonfame attached to play Cassidy and Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) will play Sundance. The series is turning out to be very Marvel-like with the Russo Brothers (who directed many of the Avengers’ films) producing and Eternals screenwriters Kaz and Ryan Firpo coming in as showrunners. The plot: “In an alternate version of America, legendary outlaws Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid take on their biggest heist yet — this time with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.” Alex Metcalf will also act as showrunner, previously working on the series Sharp Objects and Mindhunter.
Brandy Reprises Her Role as Cinderella in Disney’s Descendants: The Rise of Red
A fourth installment of Disney’s musical franchise will look a bit familiar to Disney diehards. Brandy and Paolo Montalban will reprise their roles as Cinderella and Prince Charming (now taking on the titles of king and queen). The original movie for Disney+ will follow the story of Red, the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts (played by Rita Ora) and Chloe, Cinderella’s daughter (quite the perfectionist!). The two friends must set their differences aside and join forces when the Queen of Hearts incites a coup against the land. Red and Chloe take a journey, traveling back in time to undo a traumatic event that turned Red’s mother into a villainous tyrant. Premiere date TBD. You can stream the OG Roger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Brandy and Whitney Houston on Disney+.
HBO Developing Heidi Fleiss Series With Staircase Writer
Remember Heidi Fleiss? The infamous madam who operated a prostitution ring in Los Angeles frequented by Charlie Sheen. Now, Maggie Cohn, writer of HBO’s The Staircase will serve as writer and executive producer of this new limited series in which Fleiss will act as consultant. Fleiss became known as “The Hollywood Madam” in the early 90s and was charged with prostitution and served two years in prison. Maggie Cohn has written other scandalous series including Narcos: Mexico for Netflix and American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace for FX.
HGTV Orders Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge Series
Now those kid fantasies you had about becoming an interior designer and decorating Barbie’s dreamhouse (okay is that just me?) are coming true! HGTV has ordered a new competition series Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge to coincide with the July 21 release of Margot Robbie’s Barbie movie. This four-episode event will be hosted by model Ashley Graham and feature eight teams of HGTV interior design superstars (and one Food Network star) as they makeover a Southern California home into a real-life Barbie dreamhouse. Graham will drive a Barbie pink corvette on the show as teams transform rooms of the house with a specific Barbie style — 1960s atomic-age kitchen, 70s disco for Ken’s den, and a master bedroom with 80s glam.
Friday Night Baseball To Stream Exclusively on Apple TV+ (and maybe soccer, too?)
Apple is bringing in the home runs this baseball season, but for a price! Apple announced that Friday Night Baseball will return for the 2023 MLB season, but not for free like last year. Now, you’ll have to be an Apple TV+ subscriber to view the games. For this you get two live games every Friday with no local blackout restrictions. And that’s not all — Apple TV+ is gearing up for the end of Ted Lasso by making sure everyone has their soccer fix in their bid for the U.K. streaming rights of Premier League and lower league matches run by the English Football League. Amazon Prime currently holds the rights, but those expire in 2024-25 season. Stay tuned if the bid sticks.
What Is A Showrunner?
The person who has overall creative authority and management responsibility for a television program."the vision of the show as a whole does not come from the freelance or even the staff writer, but from the showrunner"
Renewals/Cancellations
You renewed for a fifth and final season at Netflix
Alert gets Season 2 renewal at FOX
Accused gets Season 2 renewal at FOX
The L Word: Generation Q cancelled at Showtime after three seasons
Streaming News: FuboTV is now just Fubo
SAVE THE DATE - Droughtlander Is Over! Outlander: Season 7 Premiere & First Look Photos!
Outlander is giving fans a double dose of Scottie hottie Jamie Fraser with a two episode premiere of Season 7 on Friday, June 16. The 16-episode season will be split into two juicy parts of eight episodes each. Fans will have to wait until 2024 for the second half to air.
More STDs (the good kind) To Note:
May 24 Platonic starring Rose Byrne and Seth Rogan at Apple TV+
May 18 Xo, Kitty (To All The Boys… spinoff) on Netflix
May 22 Happy Valley third and final season premiere on AMC+/Acorn TV
April 21 Indian Matchmaking: Season 3 at Netflix
May 2 Jimmy O. Yank Comedy Special Guess How Much? at Amazon Prime
May 3 Jeopardy! Masters with Ken Jennings on ABC
May 9 The Prank Panel starring Johnny Knoxville on ABC
May 9 Judge Steve Harvey: Season 2 on ABC
June 14 The Wonder Years: Season 2 on ABC
June 26 The Bachelorette on ABC
PHOTO TEASE OF THE WEEK - Selena Gomez in wedding dress on set of Only Murders in the Building: Season 3
From Book To Stream 📚 📺
James Patterson Signs First Look Deal
Best-selling mega-author James Patterson has signed an exclusive first look deal with Skydance Television. Patterson will develop television adaptions from this book series “Womens Murder Club” and his Michael Bennett books.
What is a First Look Deal?
an agreement between a writer and an independent production company in which the potential buyer (producer or studio) of a not-yet-written script or film or television project pays a development fee to the writer or producer for the right to have the first look at the new material before others in the industry get to see it.
‘We Were’ Liars’ Gets Amazon Series
It’s been a long time coming, but popular YA novel ‘We Were Liars’ is getting a series at Amazon Prime. The plot: “a tragic love story and an amnesia thriller set on a privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts.” The book has sold over 3 million copies since it was published. Julie Plec and Carina Adly MacKenzie are on board as the show’s creators with a YA-heavy resume previously working on the CW series, The Originals and Roswell: New Mexico.
‘A Perfect Couple’ Starring Nicole Kidman In Early Development At Netflix
Nicole Kidman, along with Dakota Fanning, Liev Schreiber, and Jack Reynor are in talks to star in Netflix’s limited series A Perfect Couple, based on Elin Hildebrand’s bestselling novel. The series will be directed by Susanne Bier who directed another Kidman series, The Undoing as well as The First Lady in which Dakota Fanning starred. Story: When one lavish wedding ends in disaster before it can even begin — with a body discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony — everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect.
From Actress To Author: Millie Bobbie Brown To Release Debut Novel “Nineteen Steps”
HarperCollins announced that they will publish Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown’s debut novel “Nineteen Steps” this September. The story: A historical novel based on the actress’ own family history centering on her grandmother Ruth who survived the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster. From Brown - “Inspired by my Nanny Ruth, this book is very personal and close to my heart. I grew up listening to stories about her time living through the war. I’m honored to keep her story alive.”
Trailer of the Week - Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Premieres May 4 On Netflix
New & Fresh Trailers!
Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker (Apple TV+)
Love & Death Premieres April 27 on HBO Max
Xmas News In March: Christina Milian to Star in Meet Me Next Christmas For Netflix
You may know her as an R&B songstress, but Christina Milian is quite the rom-com queen. Milian will star in her third rom-com for Netflix with Meet Me Next Christmas where she will play Layla, who is in pursuit of a fairytale romance with the man of her dream. She must race through New York City to get her hands on the hottest ticket in town — the sold out Pentatonix Christmas Eve concert. If you can’t wait until Christmas to see Christina in a rom-com you can stream Resort to Love and Falling Inn Love on Netflix.
Post Oscar News: The Daniels Will Direct Star Wars Episode
Oscar-winning directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert will direct Star Wars: The Skeleton Crew starring Jude Law for Disney+. While many indie fans think this is a sellout, The Daniels responded with practical reasoning, “we needed healthcare”. The series will enter on a group of kids from a planet who get lost in the Star Wars galaxy.
Remake of the Week: Eddie Redmayne To Star In Day of the Jackal at Peacock
Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne will take the lead in Peacock’s remake of the 1973 film adaptation of Day Of The Jackal. The story: In the aftermath of France allowing Algeria’s independence, a group of resentful military veterans hire a professional assassin codenamed ‘Jackal’ to kill President Charles de Gaulle. The spin: “While staying true to the DNA of the original story, this contemporary drama will delve deeper into the chameleon-like anti-hero at the heart of the story in a high octane thriller, set amidst the turbulent geo-political landscape of our time.” The series will be directed by Game of Thrones and Luther veteran, Brian Kirk.
And In Movie News…. Paramount in talks with Robert Downey, Jr. To Remake Vertigo
Like to keep big screen movies out of this streaming guide, but I had to mention that one of my very favorite Hitchcock films could be getting a remake and with….Robert Downey, Jr. Paramount is looking to remake the 1958 Hitchcock thriller, Vertigo that starred Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. Robert Downey, Jr. would star and produce the film. The original film followed a former San Francisco police detective who develops a fear of heights and vertigo and is hired to follow a friend’s wife which leads to many deadly twists. Downey loves detective dramas and is currently a producer on HBO’s Perry Mason.
Happy Birthday This Weekend! 🥳
Jessica Chastain - stream George & Tammy on Showtime
Lake Bell - stream Bless This Mess on Hulu
Jim Parsons - stream Big Bang Theory on Big Bang Theory
Alyson Hannigan - stream How I Met Your Mother on Hulu
Lara Flynn Boyle - stream Twin Peaks on Showtime/Paramount+
Steve McQueen - stream The Great Escape and The Thomas Crown Affair on Cinemax
Jenny Slate - stream Obvious Child on HBO Max
Sarah Jessica Parker - stream Sex and the City and And Just Like That… on HBO Max
Edgar Ramirez - stream The Assassination of Gianni Versace on Hulu
Keira Knightley - stream Boston Strangler on Hulu
Jennifer Grey - stream Dirty Dancing on FreeVee
James Caan - stream The Godfather on Amazon Prime
Michael Imperioli - stream The Sopranos and The White Lotus on HBO
Leslie Mann - stream Knocked Up on HBO Max
Catherine Keener - stream Being John Malkovich on Amazon Prime
Martin Short - stream Only Murders in the Building on Hulu
Alan Arkin - stream The Kominsky Method on Netflix