Small Screen: ‘Yellowface’ In Works At Lionsgate, Peacock Premium Free For Spectrum Select Customers

Cable: Mickey Down and Konrad Kay have signed a new three-year overall deal with HBO to extend their collaboration until 2028. This agreement comes after the conclusion of Season 3 of their series Industry, which has been renewed for a fourth season. Down and Kay, who made their directorial debut with the final episodes of Season 3, serve as writers, showrunners, and executive producers for the series. The show's viewership has grown, with Season 3 averaging 1.6 million viewers, surpassing the 1.2 million average for Season 2.

FX has ordered the drama series The Beauty and released the cast starring Evan Peters (Monster), Anthony Ramos (Iron Heart), Jeremy Pope (The Inspection), and Ashton Kutcher (Your Place or Mine). Co-created by Ryan Murphy and Matt Hodgson, the show is based on the 2016 graphic novel about a deadly STD called "the Beauty" that makes its victims attractive before killing them. While official plot details are not yet released, the series will likely feature Peters as one of two detective leads and Kutcher as a tech billionaire. The series’ production is set to begin in November.

Broadcast: Hasbro Entertainment has added an unscripted television division with Zach Edwin set to lead. Edwin comes from Sony Pictures Television from their Intellectual Property Corporation and will oversee the expansion and partnerships with other industry players. There are projects currently in the works, such as Trivial Pursuit with LeVar Burton and Scrabble with Raven-Symoné. Both series are set to premiere on the CW October 3rd. Future projects will include game-board series adaptations of Monopoly, Nerf, and Clue, to name a few.

A new spinoff of drama series 9-1-1 is reportedly in development. This news comes as 9-1-1: Lone Star prepares to end after its fifth season on Fox. Discussions continue about a new installment, with Las Vegas being considered as the potential setting. This would follow the original 9-1-1 series based in Los Angeles and 911: Lone Star set in Austin. Creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear are working on the new spinoff.

FOX's comedy series Going Dutch has added Joe Morton (Scandal) to the cast. The series follows the life of Colonel Patrick Quinn (Denis Leary) as he is stationed in the Netherlands in consequence of an “unfiltered rant.” Quinn attempts to reinstate military attitude at the base with his daughter Captain Maggie Quinn (Taylor Misiak). Morton is cast to play General Davidson, rival to Colonel Quinn. The series will have a midseason premiere on Fox.

Streaming: Peacock's unnamed thriller series from Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience) has added Melissa Barrera (In The Heights) and Sinclair Daniel (The Other Black Girl) to the cast. The two actresses join Mark O'Brien (Ready or Not), Brian d'Arcy James (Spotlight), and Kathleen Chalfant (Wit) to the series. The series will follow intelligence analyst Alexander Hale (Liu) as he tries to uncover who the hackers are that are hacking into his brain.

Elle Kennedy's romance novel series Off-Campus is being adapted into a series for Amazon Prime Video. The first season will be based on the 2015 novel The Deal. The show will be set in Briar University, focusing on the unexpected romance between a music major who dislikes hockey and the star center of the ice hockey team. Louisa Levy will serve as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Kennedy, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Leanna Billings, and Neal Flaherty.

Prime Video has announced a Reacher spinoff series featuring Maria Sten's character, Frances Neagley, currently known as The Untitled Neagley Project. The show follows private investigator Neagley as she investigates the suspicious death of a friend. Developed by Nick Santora and Nicholas Wootton, the series will maintain the action-packed style of Reacher while focusing on Neagley's story. The series will stream globally on Prime Video, with no release date announced yet.

“As Reacher continues to resonate with our global customers in a profound way, expanding on the storytelling and characters with a spinoff was an easy decision,” said Amazon MGM head of television Vernon Sanders.

Netflix has added Poppy Liu (Hacks) to the limited series His & Hers. Liu will be cast as Helen Wang–a headmistress–starring alongside Tessa Thompson's (West World) character Anna. The series is based on Alice Feeney's novel of the same name and follows the story of the journalist Anna (Thompson) investigating a murder in her hometown. The series will consist of six episodes and production is set to begin in the fall of 2024.

Industry: Lionsgate Television is developing Yellowface into a scripted series. The series is inspired by R.F. Kuang's novel of the same name and Karyn Kusama will be the director and executive producer. The series is being produced by Captivate Entertainment and Constance Wu and Justine Suzanne Jones’ Tempo Wubato Productions. The story follows the consequences June Hayward faces when she steals her deceased friend Athena Liu's novel and passes it off as her own. 

Moonbug Entertainment has appointed Beatriz (“Bea”) Miller as senior director of distribution and originals for North America. Miller joins from Netflix, where she worked in global strategy and content acquisition and previously led digital media and rights distribution at NBCUniversal. At Moonbug, Miller will help expand the company’s presence in North America. Moonbug–acquired by Candle Media for $3 billion in 2021–distributes its content across 150 platforms worldwide, including Netflix and YouTube Kids. Miller will report to the director of global distribution Nicolas Eglau.

Charter Communications has signed a multiyear deal with NBCUniversal to include the ad-supported Peacock Premium streaming service at no extra cost for Spectrum TV Select customers. This deal is part of Charter’s broader strategy of bundling streaming services with its cable offerings. Charter likely plans to raise subscription rates to offset the wholesale fees paid to content providers. The agreement also renews Charter’s carriage of NBCU’s extensive lineup of networks, and starting in 2025, Peacock will be available for purchase to Charter’s broadband-only customers.

“This extension of our strategic relationship with Charter ensures Spectrum video customers will continue to have access to the leading media portfolio, whether they choose to watch on traditional TV or stream it on Peacock,” said Matt Bond, chairman of content distribution at NBCUniversal.

Ken Leung (Industry) has signed with Paradigm for representation. This news comes following the dramatic Season 3 finale of Industry, where Leung's character faces an upheaval with the future of investment bank Pierpoint. The series has been renewed for a fourth season by HBO. Leung will remain represented by Brillstein.

5X Media has welcomed Jason Davis as a partner and manager of the management company. Davis previously founded Unbridled Management in Australia and is now tasked to focus on branding, digital, and television management internationally. 5X Media co-CEOs Gil Goldschein and Alon Shtruzman have expressed their excitement to have Davis join the company. 

“Jason embodies our approach to borderless talent and brand representation,” said the co-CEOs. “He has built his career around this concept and will serve as an important strategic player on our team as we continue to build our global business.”

Disney is restructuring its television operations by merging the ABC and Hulu scripted drama and comedy teams. Simran Sethi has been promoted to president of scripted programming for both platforms. ABC Signature will be moved into 20th Television, and Tracy Underwood, head of ABC Signature, will move to a producing role. Jordan Helman will oversee drama for both Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, while Erin Wehrenberg, ABC’s head of comedy, will depart. Approximately 30 employees will be laid off as part of the changes. The restructuring is said to streamline operations while maintaining a strong focus on delivering quality content across both streaming and linear platforms. President of Disney Television Studios and Business Operations Eric Schrier has released a note to his staff about the reformatting.

“We are extremely fortunate to have this extraordinary group of executives leading an all-star team, whose collective commitment to creative risk-taking and delivering quality content will continue to drive our business into the future,” said Schrier.

Asylum Entertainment Group has appointed LaNeé Griffin as senior VP of development and programming. With this new role, she will partner with Tyler Perry Studios' Antoinetta Stallings to co-lead unscripted content production. Griffin previously founded Parker Paige Media and has held roles at VH1 and NBC Universal. Asylum's president, Jodi Flynn, praised Griffin's expertise in developing content around A-list talent.

“[Griffin]’s a smart executive, incredible collaborator and an experienced showrunner,” said Flynn. “She’s a perfect fit as we begin to carve out unscripted content with Tyler Perry Studios.”

DirecTV and Dish Network will merge in a deal valued at nearly $10 billion, creating the largest pay-TV provider in the U.S. DirecTV will acquire Dish’s video distribution business, including Sling TV, for exactly $1 at the price of assuming Dish's $9.75 billion debt. The merger, expected to close by late 2025 pending regulatory approval, comes as both companies face significant subscriber losses due to the rise of streaming services. The combined entity will have about 18 million customers, down from their peak in 2016. The merger aims to improve content distribution leverage and achieve $1 billion in annual cost savings. Analysts believe regulators will approve the merger, given the ongoing decline of traditional satellite TV.

On August 21st, 2024, actor John Amos passed away at 84 years old in Los Angeles. Amos has most notably played father figures in his acting career, particularly James Evans Sr. in Good Times, the first television show to show an African American two-parent household. Amos has also played his award-winning character Kunta Kinte in Roots. Julia Buchwald, from Amos' representation company Buckwald, expressed their sorrow for his loss.

“We are so proud to have represented John,” said Julia Buchwald, president of Buchwald. “He was not only a remarkable talent but also a deeply kind and generous soul. His impact on the industry and those who knew him will never be forgotten.”

At a Prime Video event in London celebrating women in TV and film, Octavia Spencer (Truth Be Told) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Love Again) discussed the increasing role of women in the industry. Spencer discussed her upcoming unnamed comedy-thriller series with Hannah Waddingham, expressing her gratitude for the strong female collaboration behind the project. Similarly, Chopra Jonas reflected on her experience in the series Citadel, revealing it was her first role with pay parity, crediting the female-led studio for this change. At the event, Amazon MGM Studios boss Jennifer Salke praised the influence of female actors, producers, and executives at the studio, specifically stating that “Women are at the core of our business.”

The MacArthur Foundation has revealed the list of recipients for its “Genius Grant,” including filmmaker Sterlin Harjo. Harjo is the co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner for his series Reservation Dogs. The grant awards $800,000 across five years to artists, performers, academics, researchers, and writers for promising creativity endeavors. Nominees are selected by a committee of leading individuals across the fields. Harjo  was selected as a filmmaker for “[t]elling stories about the daily lives of contemporary Native Americans with humor and deep affection.”