Reality Beat: Davido Announces Documentary with Netflix and Joanna Gaines Releases New Show on Magnolia Network
Davido - Robert Okine
Docuseries: Netflix might need to kill off the competition, Convicting a Murderer, a response to Netflix’s popular true crime series Making a Murderer, is past the premeditated stage and is heading towards leaving its mark. The docuseries found a streaming home to carry out their plot, DailyWire+, an SVOD of right-wing media company The Daily Wire. The series will have ten parts; taking six years to create and is set to launch in the summer of 2023 featuring commentator Candace Owens narrating and fronting the project. The case of Steven Avery, who served 18 years in prison after a wrongful conviction for sexual assault and attempted murder but was later convicted of a different crime – the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach; will be featured during this series.
Owens stated: “I have an interest in the media’s ability to transform villains into heroes via selective reporting. An argument can be made that Netflix made millions by transforming an irrevocably evil man, Steven Avery, into a sympathetic character.”
Former President Barack Obama will be narrating and featuring in Working: What We Do All Day, a new docuseries coming to Netflix. In this four-part series, Obama will be visiting everyday people at their homes, and places of work, and asking intriguing questions like “What makes a job a good job?”. The series will follow several individuals serving all positions/levels in the workforce. These jobs range from service jobs all the way up to the C-Suit, in-home care, technology, and hospitality industries. Working: What We Do All Day is set to premiere, globally, on May 17 on Netflix.
NBCUniversal cable network Oxygen has been unraveling its latest addition to the true-crime series. The network has ordered Texas Justice with Kelly Siegler from Wolf Entertainment, along with series The Pike County Murders, Real Murders of Los Angeles, Fatal Family Feuds, and Sin City Murders. Cold Justice, Final Moments, and Homicide for the Holidays have also been renewed for another season. Texas Justice with Kelly Siegler is the network’s newest addition, examining the most horrific, shocking, and toughest trials in the history of Texas. Spiegler, who is the Chief of Special Crimes, battles against killers and attorneys to serve cold, hard justice whilst giving first-hand accounts alongside investigators and the victims’ families by revealing behind-the-scenes information. The series will premiere in the Fall.
“Like a bad rash… I’m baaaack! The greatest thing about a new season of ‘All Stars’ is I don’t have to compete but get to judge all of them by hosting ‘The Pit Stop,'” Del Rio announcement to Variety.
The team behind the award-winning docuseries 11 Minutes, telling the story of the mass shooting at Las Vegas’ Route 91 Harvest music festival, have put together another docuseries for Paramount+. Crush, the new docuseries, will explore the Halloween tragedy in Seoul, South Korea leaving 159 dead and hundreds injured. The tragedy occurred on October 29, 2022, in the midst of pre-Halloween festivities in the neighborhood of Itaewon, a South Korean city, that dealt with the country’s largest crowd rush in its history. An in-depth look at how the tragedy unfolded and forces that caused the crowd to panic; including rare first-person stories and archival, will be released this Fall – possibly around the anniversary of the tragedy.
Davido is no longer only telling his story through music but through a docuseries on Netflix titled David as well. The Nigerian American musician released his latest album Timeless and is currently flying across the globe to promote it and his new series that will be released in December 2023. This announcement comes as Davido rises as the leader of a movement putting a spotlight on music and musicians coming out of West Africa. Davido has made it onto Billboard charts, headlined major global festivals, released a collection with PUMA, and featured on collabs stars all over the world. One of his most popular features includes starring in a major global hit with Arab star AISHA on “Hayya Hayya (Better Together); one of the official songs in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
“I have a movie coming out in December with Netflix,” Davido told Esquire. “It’s very, very big. This is the first time I’ve said anything about it, actually. It’s a documentary–a docu-series about my life, called ‘David’. I shouldn’t be talking about this, but yeah.”
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, on Fox, is set to be renewed for a second season. The series, launched in January, debuted and quickly became the top unscripted in 2022-2023 accumulating 2.7M total viewers and a 0.6 rating among their targeted demographic 18-49 according to live + three-day Nielson data. It was also Fox’s highest-rated and most-watched debuted series on Wednesday in over a year. The series involves celebrities enduring harsh and backbreaking challenges from the playbook of an actual selection process for Special Forces led by Directing Staff (DS) agents Rudy Reyes, Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham, Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox, and Remi Adeleke, who make up an elite team of ex-special forces operatives.
“I don’t think there’s any way to really prepare yourself for what we did, even if we did know what was going on,” Brown told Deadline. “I was definitely in the dark and I’m kind of glad that I was, because I think I probably would have let a little bit of fear get in the way, for sure.”
Docusoap: Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is developing an unscripted tattoo transformation series called Redemption Ink for Hulu. The series, created by Matt Bazan, was inspired by Luis Gutierrez’s concept for his tattoo shop of the same name. Redemption Ink looks at the lives of ex-gang and hate group members facing a pivotal point, redemption. This first step towards change comes in the form of covering up their tattoos; a known sign of association between members and their gang factions/groups – a constant reminder of their dark and complex histories. In the midst of covering up their tattoos, they share their most sensitive stories with the artists who help to wash away their once painful past and move them towards a new beacon of hope; a fresh start.
Taraji P. Henson will be joining Peter Fun on a new version of ‘Candid Camera’. Henson will also executively produce through her own TPH Productions alongside Peter Funt, veteran and fellow executive producer, joining Mark Itkin and his Tough Lamb Media, Inc.
“The original Candid Camera had brought so much laughter into my home, and I look forward to joining Peter and Village Roadshow in spreading the joy to others in this modern-day reinterpretation,” stated Henson in a statement. Funt also added, “If this announcement is some kind of epic prank by Taraji and my friends at Village Roadshow, then I’ve really been had! There couldn’t be a better time to bring back Candid Camera. Folks need stress-free smiles more than ever. Our show has a lot in common with Ted Lasso — minus the cursing. We celebrate humanity and good sportsmanship, and we manage to do it with a lot of laughs.”
Young, Famous, & African finally has a new release date. The much-anticipated series will feature new faces like Ghanaian-American rapper Fantana, South African entertainment industry darling Bonang Matheba, and reality TV star/entrepreneur, Luis Munana from Namibia. The show’s co-creator, Peace Hyde, first announced the renewal for a second season via an Instagram Post. Soon after, Netflix gave the official green light followed up by releasing a teaser trailer for Season 2 stating its return to Netflix May 19.
Game Shows: CBS is bringing a new game show to the masses. The broadcasting network has greenlit the game show Loteria Loca; based on the Latin board game Loteria. Actor and Singer Jaime Camil [Jane the Virgin, playing Rogelio] will be the host and executive producer of the show. Ein each episode two players go head-to-head taking turns picking cards to four-in-a-row, which is Lotería. Each time a card appears on their Bingo-styled card, they accumulate money. Landing on one of the “Loca Cards” gives a player the opportunity to pocket even more cash by competing in interactive challenges. The player with the most “Loerías” on their board moves on to the final round for a chance to win a cash prize.
“I grew up playing Lotería with my family and friends back in México. I could say, without a shadow of a doubt, that every single Mexican family owned (and still owns) a Lotería game,” stated Camil. “Even though this board game, which is similar to bingo, is still played and owned by millions of people around the globe, it’s something that resonates even more with every single Latinx person, because it helps connect with our heritage and emotional memories. There are restaurants, clothes, accessories, etc, all with Lotería designs; I mean, it’s just massive!”
Bianca Del Rio - Christopher Polk
Competitive Series: Magnolia Network is releasing a new show, Joanna Gaines’ Silos Baking Competition in May. Season 1 will premiere on Magnolia Network, Discover+, and the rebranded Max streaming service; showcasing back-to-back episodes, May 28. Silos Baking Competition will be filmed in front of a live audience at the Gaines’ Silos shopping complex in Waco, Texas. During the six-episode season, five baking enthusiasts will craft recipes for Gaines along with an array of guest judges and Magnolia talent – including Andrew Zimmern (Family Dinner) and Zoë François (Zoë Bakes). At the end, winners from the six previous episodes will compete in the season finale on June 25 for a $100,000 cash prize along with having their dish featured on the menu at Magnolia’s Silos Baking Co. through September 4.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 winner, Bianca Del Rio, is returning to host the All Stars Season 8 recap series The Pit Stop. New episodes of All Stars will begin streaming on May 12 exclusively on Paramount+. The Pit Stop will premiere every Saturday on the RuPaul’s Drag Race Youtube channel; Del Rio and her guests will recap and review the most recent episode of All Stars.
Former contestants from The Bachelor franchise, Vanderpump Rules, Love Is Blind, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Real Housewives of New York City, Survivor, FBoy Island, Dancing With the Stars, The Real World, 90 Day Fiancé, The Challenge and more will face off on a new competition series on Freevee called The GOAT. Production for the show began in April where contestants have taken residence at “GOAT Manor” – contestants include Tayshia Adams, Joe Amabile, Kristen Doute, Reza Farahan, CJ Franco, Wendell Holland, Teck Holmes, Justin Johnson/Alyssa Edwards, Paola Mayfield, Da’Vonne Rogers, Joey Sasso, Jason Smith, Lauren Speed-Hamilton and Jill Zarin. Comedian Daniel Tosh (“Tosh 2.0”) will be hosting the reality series in which 14 competitors will face mental, physical, and social challenges for cash and the namesake of being the “greatest of all time”.
Dancing With the Stars is returning to ABC after one season on Disney+ exclusively. Season 32 of DWTS will air in the Fall; the surprise announcement comes as defeat to the show hoping that it would draw and maintain subscribers to the streamer. Now, the show will run on both platforms (ABC and Disney+), along with streaming the next day on Hulu. News of the Writers Guild of America strike; which began Monday night, could interrupt production plans for the new season. The new season could look different considering Tyra Banks announced her departure back in March hosting the show for three seasons. Alfonso Ribeiro will become the new host alongside former DWTS pro and judge Julianne Hough, returning as co-host.
In other news, a very unlikely duo seems to have paired up – Fox Nation and Professional Bull Riders (PBR). The pair will be developing a new unscripted competition series called The Last Standing, premiering May 7. Last Cowboy Standing will showcase the process of what it takes to become a professional bull rider. The series starts off with potential cowboys that undergo training under the guided expertise of five PBR mentors, including PBR CEO and Commissioner Sean Bleason, PBR founding member Cody Lambert, PBR 2002 World Champion J. W. Hart, PBR Ring of Honor member Ross Coleman and former PBR world champion Justin McBride, according to Fox Nation.
“We are excited to share this all-access, unfiltered program with our viewers as the series dives into the fast paced and exciting world of Professional Bull Riders,” Fox Nation President Jason Klarman declared in a statement.
Saudi Arabia-based broadcaster MBC is launching a remake of the Dutch format Million Dollar Island called Ard Al-Million (Million Dollar Land). MBC will partner with Blue Engine Studios to produce the series from Neom, a smart city in Saudi. The series will feature 100 Arab contestants competing for $1Million facing a slew of different mental and physical challenges. Each contestant is also given a bracelet worth $10,000 which can be worn or lost during various tasks and activities. Actor/host Mohamed El Shehri will be the presenter as the show will be broadcasted on MBC1 and MBC Iraq.
Lifestyle: Hartbeat, the multi-platform media company created by Kevin Hart – along with the second season of Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Crew, will be moving to The Roku Channel. The unscripted series had its first debut in 2021 on MotorTrend+ and MotorTrend TV. Following Hart and his friends, “Plastic Cup Boyz”, they engross themselves in America’s ever-evolving and fascinating car scene. Where does the interest come from? The first season gives viewers a glimpse into Hart’s friend group who began as mere car enthusiasts eventually turning into a legitimate car club. In season 2, Hart and his car crew open their own restoration garage in Atlanta as they learn more about car culture and operate their own “brick and mortar location”.
“We’re proud to call this series a Roku and MotorTrend Original, look forward to utilizing the power of the Roku platform to broaden its reach potential and share it with the millions of viewers reached by The Roku Channel,” stated Brian Tannenbaum, Roku Media head of originals.
WME has announced that Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, signed on for representation. Included in the deal is a representation for the content division of Archwell, founded by Markle and her husband Prince Harry in 2020. WME will oversee her business and creative ventures across the field including television production, brand partnerships, etc. The deal has produced the highly successful six-episode docuseries, Harry & Meghan. Harry & Meghan launched in December 2022 becoming Netflix’s most-watched documentary on the streaming platform.
Hulu is searching for a real soul connection; in the food department that is. Hulu and Onyx Entertainment will be serving up a new reality series debuting on June 2. Searching For Soul Food will be hosted by celebrity chef Alisa Reynolds who will be traveling around the world to international destinations in search of soul food discussing what the various cuisines look like across the globe. The series has eight episodes following Reynolds to Mississippi, Oklahoma, Appalachia, South Africa, Italy, Jamaica, Peru and Los Angeles.
ReachTV has ordered its first original series, Cultural Eats with Chef Eric Adjepong. Cultural Eats with Chef Eric Adjepong will follow Adjepong on his culinary quest to discover the absolute best restaurants, owners, and chefs around the world. Adjepong has a long list of credibility, first appearing on Top Chef, to hosting Alex vs America, a judge on Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Supermarket Stakeout, as well as competing on Tournament of Champions.
“Travel, food, and culture define my life’s work,” Adjepong stated. “Having the opportunity to showcase my passion with a brilliant team of creatives is a dream come true. Viewers will see their favorite cities beautifully captured, meet the people who make these places special, and learn about the food that connects us all.”