Small Screen: ‘Chicano’ In development, And Classic Comedies Headline A Highly-Anticipated Fall Television Lineup
Eva Longoria - Presley Ann / Chicano - Amazon / Natalie Chaidez - NBCU Photo Bank
Broadcast: ABC will be developing Chicano, a new series based on Richard Vasquez’s novel of the same name that focuses on a Mexican American family in pursuit of the American Dream. Set in Los Angeles and spanning multiple generations, Chicano follows the ups and downs that the Sandoval family goes through from the 1920s through the present day. Eva Longoria and Forest Whitaker will executive produce the series alongside Natalie Chaidez (who is also writing for the series), Ben Spector, Nina Yang Bongiovi and Doug Pray.
Taraji P. Henson is reprising her role as Cookie Lyon in a new spinoff series centered on the Empire character, Fox has announced. The announcement comes after Henson recently signed a two-year first-look deal with 20th Century Fox, and the untitled spinoff will be produced in conjunction with the actress’ newly-launched production company, TPH Entertainment. Plot details for the upcoming series have yet to be revealed, though it has already been announced that the spinoff will see Cookie move to Los Angeles and may potentially include other members of the Lyon family. Already attached to the series are Empire co-creator Danny Strong, Yolanda Lawrence and Stacy. A Littlejohn, who will act as co-writers and co-showrunners, with Sanaa Hamri directing. Henson, Strong, Littlejohn, Lawrence and Hamri will also co-executive produce the series with Empire co-creator Lee Daniels, Brian Grazer and Samie Falvey.
ITV has ordered Unsaid Stories, a new series inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in which each 15-minute episode delves into a different issue. Already released are plot details and casting information for the four-episode limited series. Jerome Bucchan-Nelson’s “Generational” focuses on a father-daughter relationship when William (Nicholas Pinnock) catches his teenage daughter Justina (Yasmin Monet-Prince) sneaking out to attend a Black Lives Matter demonstration. “Lavender,” written by and starring Nicole Lecky, looks into colorism in parenting, as a light-skinned Black woman contemplates her relationship with her white mother after giving birth to a baby with dark skin; Amanda Abbington stars alongside Lecky. Anna Ssemuyaba’s “I Don’t Want To Talk About This” stars Joe Cole and Adelayo Adedayo as exes who see each other for the first time in years at a party. Rounding out the series is Lynette Linton’s “Look At Me,” which follows the story of a young professional couple (Paapa Essiedu and Pippa Bennett-Warner) who are stopped by police while out on a date. Filming will take place under pandemic safety protocol, with the series set to premier sometime this month.
Anthony Hemingway has signed an overall deal with 20th Century Fox that will see him developing and directing projects for the network through his production company, Anthony Hemingway Productions. Hemingway has previously directed for episodes of Fox hits such as Glee, Empire and American Horror Story, and his current projects include the upcoming Genius: Aretha (Nat Geo) and Power Book II: Ghost, a spinoff of Starz’s Power.
Cable: HBO will be adapting Ta-Nehisi Coates’ 2015 New York Times-bestselling book, Between The World and Me, as a television special, set to air this fall. The special, which was originally adapted for the stage in 2018 at the Apollo Theatre, will feature elements of the original stage production alongside readings from the book, documentary footage, archival footage and animation. Produced by Roger Ross Williams through his production company, One Story Up, it will be directed by Apollo Theatre Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes and executive produced by Coates and Susan Kelechi Watson. Speaking to the importance of the upcoming production, Forbes noted that “Ta-Nehisi’s words resonate as strongly today as they did five years ago,” while Watson brought up the intention of the special in “[creating] a space of communion where Black people can metabolize our grief, celebrate our joys and continue to amplify the current discourse regarding race and culture in our country and around the world.”
Starz has renewed P-Valley- the new breakout hit from Katori Hall about a Mississippi strip club and the people in it- for a second season, following the drama series’ strong viewership numbers. Certified by both Starz and Nielsen, P-Valley, which premiered last month, recently became one of the network’s all-time top performing premium series among African American viewers, and the show set a new record for streaming viewership on the Starz App. Said Christina Davis, President of Original Programming, “P-Valley has quickly become this summer’s newest must-see television series,” driven by the strength of Hall’s “authentic and compelling characters.” P-Valley is based on first-time showrunner Hall’s play Pussy Valley, with its first season featuring an all-female directing lineup that includes Karena Evans, Kimberly Peirce, Millicent Shelton, Tamra Davis, Geeta V. Patel, Tasha Smith, Sydney Freeland and Barbara Brown.
Wonya Lucas has been named as the new President and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks. In her new role, Lucas will oversee the strategic direction, management and growth of Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movie & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama, as well as the network’s streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now. Lucas comes to Crown Media Family Networks from Public Broadcasting Atlanta, where she acted as President and CEO, with her other previous experience including acting as the CEO of TV One, Executive Vice President and COO for Discovery Channel and Science Channel and General Manager for Weather Channel Networks.
Newcomer Jordan Kristine Seamón shines in the first trailer for the upcoming drama series We Are Who We Are. The series follows the coming-of-age stories of Caitlin and Fraser, two American teenagers living on an Italian army base who grow close to each other as they grow into who they are. Written and directed by Luca Guadagnino, the cast includes Seamón alongside Jack Dylan Grazer, Chloë Sevigny, Alice Braga, Kid Cudi, Faith Alabi, Francesca Scorsese, Corey Knight, Beatrice Barichella, Ben Taylor and Sebastiano Pigazzi. We Are Who We Are premiers September 14 on HBO.
Emmy Raver-Lampman - Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix
Streaming: Apple has announced the recasting of Central Park’s mixed-race character Molly, who will now be voiced by Emmy Raver-Lampman following the departure of Kristen Bell. News of the casting follows an announcement from the show’s creative team this past June that they would be looking to recast the character with a Black or mixed-race actress in order to be representative in their voice casting. In joining the series, Raver-Lampman will reunite with her former Hamilton castmates Leslie Odom Jr. and Daveed Diggs.
Netflix has acquired the streaming rights to several popular Black sitcom series, which are set to roll out on the streaming service over the coming weeks. Already available is Moesha, which arrived on Netflix on August 1, with the first three seasons of The Game following on August 15. For September, Netflix will release Sister, Sister (September 1) and Girlfriends (September 11). The streaming platform will round out its classic Black sitcom lineup in October when it adds The Parkers on October 1, with Half & Half and One on One arriving on October 15.
Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds are lending their voices to Quibi for its new animated comedy series Futha Mucka. The two play fictionalized versions of themselves, in which a “minor mishap” leads to Jackson becoming Reynolds’ primary caregiver. The new series is created by showrunners Jim and Brian Kehoe, who will split executive producing duties with Jackson and Reynolds, as well as Nina Soriano, Charlie Scully, George Dewey, Patrick Gooing, Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski and Ben Kalina.
BBC iPlayer has made the classic sketch comedy The Real McCoy available to stream. The series, which ran from 1991-1996, features a primarily Black and Asian cast, and is known especially for deconstructing stereotypes and delving into issues relevant to Britain’s Black and Asian communities.
