Extra! Extra! Top TV News Of The Week: Another ‘Vanderpump’ Spinoff, ‘Billions' Trailer, Ryan Murphy Casts Menendez Brothers, and When Will Seacrest Take Over ‘Wheel’?
Jam-Packed News For The Weekend! 🍇
And Just Like That…Ryan Seacrest, the host of pretty much everything, has been crowned King of Primetime Game Shows as the new host of Wheel of Fortune — keep scrolling to see when he’ll officially take over the wheel. I’m looking forward to Kurt Sutter’s (Sons of Anarchy) new female-forward western at Netflix which just announced exciting casting news and…which actress of a freshly-ended beloved series has the honor to play Lois Lane in the new Superman: Legacy film? Keep scrolling!
Top 5 TV News of the Week
Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monsters’ Season 2 Casts Menendez Brothers
After the success and controversial first season of Monsters that focused on Jeffrey Dahmer, Netflix ordered two additional seasons of the anthology series of which the second season will tell the story of the Menendez Brothers. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story will star Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle, best known for his role as Spencer on General Hospital. Copper Koch has been cast as Erik, who recently starred in the Kevin Bacon thriller They/Them for Peacock. The Menendez Brothers were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents Kitty and José, fatally shooting them in their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
Gillian Anderson Joins Lena Headey In ‘The Abandons’ at Netflix
Netflix adds another high-profile actress for Kurt Sutter’s upcoming western The Abandons. The X-Files’ Gillian Anderson will star as Constance, opposite Game of Thrones’ Lena Headey. Constance is the matriarch of the wealthy and powerful family, whom despite the time period (1850s Oregon) where there was an obvious bias towards women, Constance forms a group of influential allies byway of her money, charm, and ruthlessness to go against the powers that are forcing them off their land.
Showtime Scraps Four Series Including Gattaca Series
With the integration into Paramount+ and layoffs, Showtime has scrapped four series that were in development, many of which were quite buzzed about. Mandy Patinkin’s (The Princess Bride, Homeland) comedy series based on the 43-year marriage between him and his wife Kathryn Grody, will not go forward. The six-episode series was to star the couple and show their tumultuous yet hilarious relationship. Other series scrapped include the TV adaptation of the Uma Thurman/Ethan Hawke film Gattaca produced by Homeland’s Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon, Sweetness, female-led anthology series written by Emerald Fennell (Killing Eve), and Split, a secret double-agent thriller.
Kevin Bacon To Play Bounty Hunter In Upcoming Amazon Prime Series
Blumhouse Productions is bringing The Bondsman, a horror-thriller-action series to Prime Video that will star Kevin Bacon as a bounty hunter with a twist. According to the official synopsis, “The Bondsman” is centered on Hub Halloran (Bacon), a backwoods bounty hunter who comes back from the dead with an unexpected second chance at life, and love, and a nearly-forgotten musical career — only to find that his old job now has a demonic new twist.” Bacon previously starred in I Love Dick for Prime Video and Blumhouse Productions’ They/Them on Peacock.
‘Vanderpump Rules’ Spinoff In Development With Jax, Brittany, and Kristen
With the incredible success of the past season of Vanderpump Rules that unleashed the ratings tornado #Scandoval, the supporting players aka Ghosts of Vanderpump Rules past will be getting their own series. Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright, and Kristen Doute have been asked to return to the Vanderpump universe for a new reality series that will focus on Valley Village, the L.A. neighborhood where the actors reside. The 8-episode series will feature several of the former cast members that have either quit or been asked to leave the series. However, much of these cast members have returned to Vanderpump Rules in bite-size appearances with the eruption of #Scandoval which the network hopes to continue its momentum with this new spinoff series.
Television Critics Awards (TCA) Nominations Announced: (Add these titles to your watchlist!) Winners to be announced August 7.
Program of the Year
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Andor (Disney+)
Better Call Saul (AMC+)
Poker Face (Peacock)
Succession (HBO)
The Bear (FX)
The Last of Us (HBO)
The Other Two (HBO)
The White Lotus (HBO)
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Barry (HBO)
Poker Face (Peacock)
Reservation Dogs (FX)
Shrinking (Apple TV+)
The Bear (FX)
The Other Two (HBO)
What We Do In The Shadows (FX)
Outstanding Achievement in Drama
Andor (Disney+)
Better Call Saul (AMC+)
Interview with the Vampire (AMC+)
Succession (HBO)
The Good Fight (Paramount+)
The Last of Us (HBO)
The White Lotus (HBO)
Yellowjackets (Showtime)
Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries or Specials
A Small Light (National Geographic)
Beef (Netflix)
Black Bird (Apple TV+)
Daisy Jones & The Six (Amazon Prime)
Fleishman is in Trouble (FX)
Mrs. Davis (Peacock)
The Patient (FX)
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku)
Save The Date:
Ryan Seacrest To Take Over As Wheel of Fortune Host in September 2024!
The Morning Show: Season 3 (Apple TV+) will premiere on September 13
Renewed/Canceled
Single Drunk Female canceled at Freeform/Hulu after two seasons
The Watchful Eye canceled at Freeform/Hulu after just one season
Reservation Dogs to end with upcoming Season 3 at FX
From renewed for Season 3 at MGM+
The Other Two to end with Season 3 at MAX
Breeders to end with Season 4 at FX
John Leguizamo Does America renewed for Season 2 at MSNBC
Streamer News 📺
Peacock To Launch 50 New Free Streaming Channels including SNL, The Real Housewives, Kardashians and More
Hulu removes Alaska Daily, Blindspot, The Detour, The Last Ship, Angie Tribeca and The Company You Keep from it’s library as of July 1
TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is temporarily in the safe zone as Spielberg, Scorsese and PTA help curate film titles while Charlie Tabesh stays on as head of programming.
Paramount+ with Showtime has officially launched with price hike of $2 ($9.99 to $11.99)
Trailer of the Week: Billions: Season 7 (Showtime)
More Trailers:
The Summer I Turned Pretty: Season 2 (Amazon Prime)
Sylvester Stallone Documentary - November (Netflix)
Orlando Bloom: To The Edge (Peacock)
Steven Soderbergh’s Full Circle (MAX)
Surf Girl Hawaii (Amazon Prime)
Bird Box Barcelona (Netflix)
Last Call (MAX)
Sweet Magnolias: Season 3 (Netflix)
Heels: Season 2 (STARZ)
Christmas in July! Party of Five’s Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf to star in ‘A Merry Scottish Christmas’ on Hallmark
From The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel To Lois Lane - Rachel Brosnahan Lands Coveted Role In New Superman: Legacy Film
In Memoriam - Alan Arkin (March 26, 1934-June 29, 2023)
Alan Arkin is an Oscar-winning actor (Best Supporting Actor for Little Miss Sunshine) born in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish immigrants from Russia and Germany. In 1946, the Arkins moved from New York to Los Angeles. His father was an artist and also a teacher who was fired for refusing to answer questions regarding his political affiliations during the Red Scare. Arkin attended Franklin High School in Los Angeles and had a fondness for music and acting. He went on to attend Bennington College in Vermont and was the lead singer of a folk band he started. He co-wrote the 1956 “The Banana Boat Song” which turned into a huge hit that Harry Belafonte sang, rising to #4 on the Billboard charts. Through the fifties he got parts in Off-Broadway productions before finally, in 1961, landing his Broadway debut in “From Second City”, a musical from the comedy troupe out of Chicago, Second City. Arkin went on to have an incredibly successful career in film and television. Please add these favorites to your watchlist.
Alan Arkin’s Best Performances
Little Miss Sunshine: stream on Cinemax
The Kominsky Method: stream on Netflix
Argo: buy or rent on Amazon Prime or Apple TV+
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter: rent or buy on Amazon Prime or Apple TV+
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming: stream on Tubi
Edward Scissorhands: stream on Cinemax
Popi: stream on ScreenPix
Wait Until Dark: rent or buy on Amazon Prime or Apple TV+
Get Shorty: stream on Showtime
Grosse Point Blank: available to buy on Apple TV+
Happy Birthday 🎉
July 1 🥳
Hilarie Burton, 41: stream One Tree Hill on Hulu or MAX
Léa Seydoux, 38: stream Spectre and No Time To Die on Amazon Prime or MGM+
Liv Tyler, 46: stream The Lord of the Rings on MAX
Fortune Feimster: stream The Mindy Project on Hulu or Netflix
Alan Ruck, 67: stream Succession on MAX
Julianne Nicholson, 52: stream Mare of Easttown on MAX
Pamela Anderson, 56: stream Pamela, A Love Story on Netflix
Thomas Sadoski, 47: stream Newsroom on MAX
Storm Reid, 20: stream Euphoria on MAX
Dan Akroyd, 71: stream Behind the Candelabra on MAX
Leslie Caron, 92: rent or buy An American in Paris on Amazon Prime or Apple TV+
Born on this Day Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020)
Olivia de Havilland is best known for her role as Melanie Hamilton in the epic 1939 two-part movie Gone With the Wind which is now streaming on MAX. She was born in Tokyo to British parents. Her sister was the famous actress, Joan Fontaine.
Born on this Day Sydney Pollack (1934-2008)
Sydney Pollack was an Oscar-winning director 🎥 best known for his films:
The Way We Were: rent or buy on demand
Tootsie: rent or buy on demand
Out of Africa: rent or buy on demand
Sabrina (1995): stream on Cinemax
The Firm: stream on Paramount+ with Showtime
Three Days of the Condor: stream on Paramount+ with Showtime
July 2 🥳
Margot Robbie, 32: stream The Wolf of Wall Street on Paramount+ with Showtime
Lindsay Lohan, 36: stream Mean Girls on Paramount+ with Showtime
Elizabeth Reaser, 47: stream The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix
Larry David, 75: stream Curb Your Enthusiasm on MAX