Extra! Extra! Top TV News Stories Of The Week: ‘And Just Like That’ and ‘Black Mirror’ Return! Magnificent 7 Gets Reboot, A Harry Belafonte Tribute
Carrie and Her Manolos Are Stepping Out…again
And Just Like That, it’s Friday! More than likely you’ve seen the recently released trailer for the second season of And Just Like That. While I loved seeing the teasing on-set photos of Carrie and Aiden together again, I’m wishing they would’ve kept it more on the DL to add a little bit of heat to the lukewarm trailer. Am I still excited for Season 2? OMG Yes!
Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week
‘Severance’ Season 2 Delays Production Amid Showrunner Feud
What is going on over at Apple TV+’s Severance? Apparently there’s been a little on-the-job discourse between writers Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman. The two writers — Dan Erickson who wrote the pilot episode and is a first-time series creator, and Mark Friedman who is a seasoned writer/producer from Wayward Pines and AMC’s Dispatches got into a feud towards the end of the Season 1. Apparently the work environment became toxic and Friedman left the show. Director and Executive Producer Ben Stiller who worked with Friedman on Night at the Museum, couldn’t find a replacement so finally convinced Friedman to come back before the start of season 2. Currently in production, the series (which Apple is already considering two additional seasons of) now has inflated budget issues and problems with the script. Hopefully Beau Willimon (creator of House of Cards) can help - he’s been brought in to CPR the current and future seasons.
The OC’s Adam Brody Joins Kristen Bell In Comedy From Erin Foster
One of your faves from The OC is back in a new untitled comedy series co-starring Kristen Bell. Adam Brody will star in a new series from Erin Foster and Modern Family creator Steven Levitan that centers on an unlikely relationship between an outspoken, agnostic woman Joanne (Bell) and an unconventional rabbi (Brody). The rabbi who is stuck in his ways will find Joanne’s brutal honesty a way to upend his life and set him on a new path. The series is currently in development and will premiere on Netflix TBA. Stay tuned!
Netflix’s ‘Zero Day’ Adds Four To Robert DeNiro Thriller
Looks like DeNiro won’t be helming this ship solo. Four big names have been added to the cast of this political thriller. Lizzy Caplan who is currently starring in Paramount+’s Fatal Attraction and STARZ’s Party Down has been added to the role of Alexandra Mullen, a young Congresswoman. Jesse Plemons (Power of the Dog) will star as Roger Carlson, former President Mullen body man seeking to make a return. Joan Allen (Nixon) will play Former First Lady Sheila Mullen. Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights, The White Lotus) will star as Valerie Whitesell described as a “savvy, intelligent political operative who was Mullen’s former Chief of Staff.” The thriller will be directed by Lesli Linka Glatter who has been behind the camera of such blockbuster shows as Homeland, Mad Men, and the new HBO series Love & Death.
Canada’s ‘Sullivan’s Crossing’ Heads To The CW
America loves Canadian imports (Ryan Gosling, Keanu Reeves, Justin Bieber) and now The CW network has picked up the Canadian drama series Sullivan’s Crossing. The 10-episode series based on the Robyn Carr novel (she wrote “Virgin River”) stars One Tree Hill’s Chad Michael Murray and Gilmore Girls’ Scott Patterson about a neurosurgeon who returns home after nearly losing her career. The series is coined as a family drama that deals with the power of community and second chances (sounds like Virgin River). The series is currently airing in Canada and will head to The CW for American audiences in the fall.
Christopher Robin ‘R’ Rated Animated Series In The Works
Oh Bother! This should be interesting. A new R-rated animated series is currently in development about Christopher Robin. The official logline describes the show as Christopher Robin being “a disillusioned New Yorker navigating his quarter-life crisis with the help of the weird talking animals who live beyond a drug-induced portal outside his derelict apartment complex, The Hundred Acres.” Conrad Vernon, known for Shrek 2 and Sausage Party, will direct and produce the pilot episode and Charlie Kesserling, an assistant on The Late Late Show with James Corden will pen the script.
Just Added To Your Favorite Series!
Bear: Season 2 adds Bob Odenkirk
American Horror Story: Season 12 adds Cara Delevingne
Save The Date - New Premieres Coming Soon!
June 7 - It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: Season 16 Premieres on FXX
August 3 - Heartstopper: Season 2 will premiere on Netflix
August 11 - Red, White & Royal Blue will premiere on Amazon Prime
March 26, 2024 - The Oscars on ABC
Renewed/Canceled
The Red Table Talk has been canceled at Facebook Watch
The Truth Be Told has been canceled after three seasons at Apple TV+
Big Mouth has been renewed for an eighth and final season at Netflix
Guy Fieri’s All American Road Trip has been renewed for Season 2 at Food Network
The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy has been renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV+
Frasier Fans! Roz Returns
The much-loved witty and outspoken producer of Frasier will appear in the upcoming reboot for Paramount+. So far she is slated to appear in only one episode of the sequel series which will take place in Boston.
Reboot of the Week: ‘The Magnificent Seven’ at Amazon Prime
Since acquiring MGM and United Artists’ catalog of films, Amazon Prime has been getting ready for a resurgence of old stories getting a gloss over. One reboot headed to their streaming service is The Magnificent Seven. The original 1960 film starring Steve McQueen will be given new life from True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto who also co-wrote the 2016 film remake starring Denzel Washington. Synopsis: “In the tradition of the great epics from the golden age of westerns, an outlaw and his cohorts must unite a disparate band of indelible fighters to defend a settlement of immigrant homesteaders in an open range war against cattle barons in central Texas, telling an expansive sage of adventure, action and romance.”
Chapter Two: What’s Next For These Big Names In TV?
The Creators of ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’
Amazon Prime is sticking with Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, the creators of the hit series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and ordering two seasons of the duo’s new series Etoile. The drama series will be set in the world of ballet and follow the artists and staff of two world-renowned ballet companies as they swap their most talented stars to save their legendary institutions. The series will be filmed in both New York and Paris. Etoile will bring back two Maisel alums Luke Kirby (Lenny Bruce) and Gideon Glick (The Magician). The series is currently in development and premiere date has yet to be announced.
‘Succession’s’ Brian Cox
Logan Roy, the game show host? Brian Cox has signed on as The Controller, a mysterious figure who controls the fate of the contestants in a new globe-trotting adventure reality competition series from Amazon Prime. The series, 007’s Road To A Million, is inspired by Amazon’s newly acquired James Bond catalog of films.
From Book To Stream
MGM+ To Adapt The Emperor of Ocean Park
Based on the bestselling novel by Stephen L. Carter, “The Emperor of Ocean Park” will be adapted into a series at MGM+. Per the official synopsis, the 10-episode series will be “set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard. It centers on Talcott Garland, an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah, a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a failed black nominee to the Supreme Court, is met with foul play.” The series will be written by Sherman Payne and produced by John Wells, both of whom worked on the Emmy-winning Showtime series Shameless.
Gabrielle Union To Star in Pretty Little Wife at Amazon Prime
Based on the novel by Darby Kane, Gabrielle Union has been slated to star in this series adaptation about two brilliant women — Lily (Union), the pretty little wife suspected of murdering her husband, and Ginny, the detective who is trying to solve the case. The two collide when secrets are revealed to show what really lies beneath the surface.
First Look: The Crown: Season 6 - William and Kate have entered the palace
Trailer of the Week: And Just Like That: Season 2, June (HBO Max)
More Trailers
Queer Eye: Season 7, May 12 (Netflix)
Secrets of Hillsong May 19 (FX)
McGregor Forever (Netflix)
Platonic, May 24 (Apple TV+)
The Other Two: Season 3, May 4 (HBO MAX)
Twisted Metal, July 27 (Peacock)
Tease of the Week: Black Mirror (Netflix)
Remembering Harry Belafonte (March 1, 1927-April 25, 2023)
Not only was Harry Belafonte a talented actor, singer and entertainer, but a life-long Civil Rights activist. He was a Tony-award and Emmy-Award winning actor and regained a new generation of fans when his song “Day-O” appeared in the 1998 film Beetlejuice. If you have not seen the Peacock documentary The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte hosts the Tonight Show, I highly recommend a watch.
It features never-before-seen footage when Harry Belafonte took over hosting duties for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. For one week, Belafonte (who at the time became the first African American to host a late-night show), hosted such enigmatic icons as Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Aretha Franklin.
Stream Harry Belafonte in:
BlacKkKlansman (buy or rent on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime)
Ready To Wear on Paramount+
The Player on HBO Max
Island in the Sun (buy or rent on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime)
Carmen Jones (buy or rent on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime)
Born On This Day April 28: Carolyn Jones (1930-1983)
I had to highlight Carolyn Jones today because I was so intrigued by her life’s story. While many people knew her as the iconic Morticia Addams in the original Addams Family TV show, she was an early influencer in many different ways. As a young girl in Amarillo, Texas, Jones dreamed of becoming an actress, but due to asthma she was often too sick to go to the movies. She dreamed of attending classes at the famed Pasadena Playhouse, and at the age of 17 she was accepted. She graduated from the playhouse in 1950 and gave herself a complete makeover including painful plastic nose surgery to ready herself for film roles. She worked as an understudy at The Players Ring Theater and got to step in as lead when the star left to get married. She was noticed by Paramount, given a screen test, a 6-month contract, and earned a small roll in The Turning Point (1952). She was later let go when Paramount films suffered the weight of the new era in television.
She kept working on stage where she met a young Aaron Spelling and soon they became a couple. Her breakthrough film was House of Wax (1953) for which she got great reviews. Aaron was still struggling in his work and didn’t feel secure enough to propose marriage, so she proposed to him and they were married in April 1953. She decided to remain childfree to focus time on her career. Carolyn got a big break when she was asked to test for the part of prostitute Alma Burke in From Here To Eternity, however she got sick with pneumonia and the part ended up going to Donna Reed who won the Oscar.
However, Jones did get two future groundbreaking roles — Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and Alfred Hitchock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much opposite Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day. At home, Aaron was still struggling with getting acting work, so Carolyn pushed him (literally threatening to leave him) to become a writer. She promoted Aaron’s scripts whenever she could and one day he was ultimately hired on the Dick Powell Show.
Carolyn got another notable role in Bachelor Party (1957) in which she dyed her hair black and cut it short. She was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost. She later won a Golden Globe for Marjorie Morningstar (1958). She also appeared in King Creole (1958) alongside Elvis Presley. As Aaron’s career began to take off their marriage started to fall apart. They divorced in 1963 (sans alimony) but remained friends. In 1964 she landed the part of Morticia Addams in The Addams Family for which she received much acclaim and a new beloved fan base, inspiring the gothic feminine look. Even though the show was a success, the network decided to cancel it after just two seasons. Roles were few and far between after the show’s cancellation and she found life difficult. She married her voice coach, Herbert Greene, a well-known and respected Broadway conductor and they moved to Palm Springs. She was itching to get her career off the ground again so she left her husband and returned to Hollywood where she was cast in several TV shows like Wonder Woman and Roots.
She also starred in multiple episodes of Fantasy Island and The Love Boat of which Aaron Spelling was a producer. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1982 and was still acting, even though confined to a wheelchair. She married her boyfriend of five years Peter Bailey-Britton (an actor on the soap opera Capitol for which she co-starred) shortly before she passed. I love how Carolyn kept her independent spirit, beating the odds, inspiring Aaron Spelling to become a writer (I mean without her there would probably be no Dynasty!) and considering the time — remaining childfree and being the one to propose to her husband.
You can stream Carolyn’s work in:
The Addams Family (Freevee)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Amazon Prime)
House of Wax (rent or buy on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (rent or buy on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime)
King Creole (Paramount+)
Fantasy Island (FOX now)
The Love Boat (Paramount+)
Wonder Woman (HBO Max)
ROOTS (HBO Max)
Batman series (HBO Max)
Happy Birthday 🥳 🎉
April 28
Ann-Margret, 82 - stream Bye, Bye Birdie on Crackle
Penélope Cruz, 49 - stream Parallel Mothers on STARZ
Jessica Alba, 42 - stream Sin City on Cinemax
Bridget Moynahan, 52 - stream Blue Bloods on Paramount+
Mary McDonnell, 71 - stream Dances With Wolves on AMC+
Jorge Garcia, 50 - stream Lost on Freevee
April 29
Michelle Pfeiffer, 64 - stream Witches of Eastwick on HBO Max
Uma Thurman, 52 - stream Kill Bill on Tubi
Daniel Day-Lewis, 65 - stream There Will Be Blood on Paramount+
Kate Mulgrew, 67 - stream Orange is the New Black on Netflix
Katherine Langford, 26 - stream 13 Reasons Why on Netflix
Jerry Seinfeld, 68 - stream Seinfeld on Netflix
Leslie Jordan (1955-2022) - stream Will & Grace on Amazon Prime
Eve Plumb, 64 - stream The Brady Bunch on Paramount+
Willie Nelson, 89 - stream Wag the Dog on HBO Max
Celeste Holm (1917-2012) - stream High Society on HBO Max
April 30
Ana de Armas, 34 - stream No Time To Die on Amazon Prime
Gal Gadot, 37 - stream Wonder Woman on HBO Max
Sam Heughan, 42 - stream Outlander on STARZ
Kirsten Dunst, 40 - stream Interview with the Vampire on HBO Max
Johnny Galecki, 47 - stream The Big Bang Theory on HBO Max
Lars Von Trier, 66 - stream Melancholia on Amazon Prime
Kunal Nayyar, 41 - stream The Big Bang Theory on HBO Max
Cloris Leachman (1926-2021) stream Young Frankenstein on HBO Max
Burt Young, 82 - stream Rocky on Amazon Prime
Jill Clayburgh (1944-2010) - stream Bridesmaids on Hulu
Jane Campion, 68 - stream The Piano on Paramount+