Small Screen: 'One Piece' Casts Sendhil Ramamurthy, Punkie Johnson Explains 'SNL' Leave

Sawandi Wilson - Victor Chavez / Stringer

Broadcast: ABC's General Hospital has welcomed Sawandi Wilson (Star Trek: Discovery) to the cast. Wilson will play Isaiah, who is “connected” to Lucky (Jonathan Jackson). The soap follows a hospital in Upstate New York and explores the lives and experiences of the staff and patients at General Hospital. Wilson's character will make his appearance on August 26th. 

Lana Parrilla - Axelle/Bauer-Griffin

Cable: Lana Parrilla (Once Upon a Time) has joined the cast of USA Network's series The Rainmaker. The series is based on John Grisham's best-selling novel of the same name and is written and executive produced by Michael Seitzman. The series explores Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan), a law school graduate who is put against attorney Leo Drummond (John Slattery) and uncovers conspiracies to a mysterious death. Parrilla will portray Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone, a street lawyer who runs her father's law firm.

TNT will air The Librarians: The Next Chapter in the fall after the series was originally scheduled for the CW. The spin-off series follows Vikram, a time-traveling Librarian who accidentally unleashes magic across the continent, and must now work with a new team to fix his mistake. The show stars Olivia Morris, Callum McGowan, Bluey Robinson, and Jessica Green. The series has yet to set a premiere date.

Sendhill Ramamurthy - Arturo Holmes

Streaming: Quentin Plair (Apples Never Fall) has joined the cast of Hulu's upcoming comedy series Chad Powers. The two join Glen Powell (Anyone But You), Frankie A. Rodriguez (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), Steve Zahn (The White Lotus), and Wynn Everett (Backwards) as series regulars. The show is based on an Eli Manning sketch from ESPN+ and follows Russ Holliday (Powell), a former hotshot quarterback who becomes alter-ego Chad Powers to join a football team. Plair is set to play Coach Byrd.

Jay Ellis (Top Gun: Maverick) has joined the cast of Peacock's All Her Fault. The series is adapted from Andrea Mara's best-selling novel All Her Fault about a community and its secrets. The story follows Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook) arriving at a house to pick up her son, Milo, from a playdate, only to discover that the woman who answers the door doesn’t know who he is and doesn’t have her son. Ellis will play Colin, an attorney. He joins Dakota Fanning (Ripley), Michael Peña (A Million Miles Away), and Jake Lacy (Apples Never Fall) in the cast.

Prime Video's series The Girlfriend has added Francesca Corney (The Buccaneers), Shalom Brune-Franklin (Great Expectations), and Tanya Moodie (Motherland) as series regulars. The three join Laurie Davidson (Will) and Waleed Zuaiter (Baghdad Central) in the Michelle Frances novel-based series. The story focuses on Laura's (Wright) son Daniel (Davidson) bringing home a new girlfriend with a suspected secret. The series was officially ordered in May 2024.

Apple TV+'s thriller series Criminal Record has announced renewal for season two after ending its first season in February 2024. The show stars Cush Jumbo (Stay Close), along with Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who), as Detective Sergeant June Lenker and Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty and their partnerships in crime investigations. The story for season two follows June becoming the lead officer investigating the death of a person in a far-right protest.

Prime Video’s Bosch spinoff series has added Ricardo Chavira (Selena: The Series), Alain Uy (The Paper Tigers), and Hector Hugo (Snowfall) to the cast. Chavira will play Detective Robert Olivas, Uy is cast as a political ally, and Hugo will be an LAPD captain. They join as recurring characters with Maggie Q (The Protégé), Courtney Taylor (Insecure), and John Carroll Lynch (Lucky), to name a few. The untitled show follows Ballard (Q) as she heads the LAPD's cold case division.

Netflix has announced Sendhil Ramamurthy (Never Have I Ever) will join the second season cast for One Piece. Ramamurthy will play Nefertari Cobra, the King of Alabasta and head of the Nefertari family. He joins fellow cast members Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy), Mark Harelik (The Big Bang Theory), and Taz Skylar (Gassed Up). The series is a live-action adaptation of the manga and anime series. The story follows Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), who leads the Straw Hat Pirates on a quest to find the One Piece treasure.

In the same vein, Netflix's live-action series One Piece has added Charithra Chandran (Bridgerton) to its second-season cast. Chandran will portray Miss Wednesday, joining Sendhil Ramamurthy (Never Have I Ever), Mark Harelik (The Big Bang Theory), and Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy) to the latest cast. The series follows Straw Hat Pirates leader Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) as he and his crewmates search for the One Piece treasure. Production of the second season is currently underway.

Jamila Jordan-Theus - Terekah NaJuwan

Industry: TPH Entertainment has appointed producer Jamila Jordan-Theus as head of development and production. Jordan-Theus will lead the development of scripted series, feature films, and unscripted content. Taraji P. Henson founded TPH Entertainment in 2020 and expressed her excitement about the new hire.

“Her vision, creativity and passion for storytelling aligns perfectly with our mission to bring bold, authentic and diverse voices to the forefront,” said Henson. “Together, we’re excited to push boundaries and create impactful content that resonates with audiences everywhere.” 

Comedian Punkie Johnson (A Black Lady Sketch Show) spoke about her leave from Saturday Night Live on the Fly on the Wall podcast. Johnson first considered quitting before season 49, but continued working and getting 3-4 sketches, even after her writer Ben Silva left SNL. Reflecting on her time at SNL, she concluded that the show was better suited for a different type of performer.

“I talked to my team. I was like, ‘Look, I don’t really know if I belong at this job, so maybe I should step away,’” Johnson said. “And it was like ‘Well Punkie, you need a plan. You can’t just quit your job'...I didn’t really feel like I fit, like I didn’t feel like that was my zone. That show is for a different type of person. I came from standup...”

Skydance Media has accused Paramount of breaching their merger agreement by considering a $6 billion bid from investors led by Edgar Bronfman Jr. Skydance's legal team sent a letter to Paramount's special committee, alleging the committee violated their agreement by extending negotiations to consider Bronfman's offer and threatened to withdraw its own $8 billion-plus proposal. Skydance claims its offer provides a better financial deal for Paramount's shareholders compared to Bronfman's, which offers $4.5 billion versus $1.7 billion. Skydance solidified that it reserves the right to do so in the future. This warning comes after Paramount's special committee extended the go-shop period for other bids until September 5, which they can do if another offer is “reasonably expected to lead to a Superior Proposal.” The Skydance-RedBird Capital Partners agreement with Paramount includes a $400 million breakup fee if Paramount opts for a superior offer.

Storied Media Group (SMG) has partnered with AI firm Vitrina to create new insights into the global entertainment supply chain. SMG, led by Todd Hoffman, offers Story Scout to offer exclusive IP-like books, journalism, and video games to companies such as New Line and Sony Television. Vitrina uses AI tools to track film, TV, companies, and industry influencers involved in upcoming projects. Hoffman sees collaboration as a way to smartly connect people with valuable stories and potential buyers, especially in uncertain times. Vitrina’s CEO, Atul Phadnis, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the partnership’s potential to provide comprehensive insights and curated IP to the entertainment industry.

“This is AI the way it should be used,” said Hoffman. “...With StoryScout, people can find amazing stories they want to produce. Then, with the help of Vitrina, they can find the companies, and even the executives, who are most likely to want to buy that project...Vitrina and StoryScout seems like a natural partnership.”