Small Screen: ‘House of The Dragon’ To Premiere In June, Netflix Renews ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
Brian tee - Amanda Edwards
Broadcast: NBC’s Suits: L.A. cast Troy Winbush in the pilot. The series is a spinoff of the USA Network legal drama Suits, which recently experienced an uptick in viewership due to its slot on Netflix. Winbush (The Principal, The Wilds) will play a private detective named Kevin, an old friend and ex-partner of Ted (Stephen Amell). If the pilot is picked up, Kevin will be a recurring character. Suits: L.A. follows Ted Black, a New York federal prosecutor who moves to L.A. and begins to represent some of the most powerful figures in the area. His firm is often in crisis and workers frequently mix their personal and professional lives.
Brian Tee will return to Chicago Med as a director. The NBC medical drama series is in its ninth season, and Tee played Dr. Ethan Choi until the ninth episode of season eight. He first directed for the 17th episode of the eighth season, and he is returning for episode 911. The episode shoots later this month, though the storyline and air date have not been announced. Tee recently starred in Prime Video’s Expats and is preparing to act in the third season of Reacher.
“The Chicago Med set is my home away from home… I’ve met the best and the dearest on this show and it fills my heart to be able to go back and see them all again. In this business, projects come and go, but it’s the relationships you make that continue. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have made some great ones at Wolf, NBC and of course, Chicago Med,” Tee shared.
Jermaine Fowler will headline and co-write a FOX martial arts comedy. This single-camera series remains untitled, though it received a script commitment from FOX. Collaborating with Zack Bernstein, Fowler (The Blackening, Coming 2 America) wrote a story about a former jiu jitsu chamption’s fall from grace. Played by Fowler, the martial artist starts out at a low-rent strip mall dojo and in doing so, must keep his ego in check. Fowler began Brazilian jiu jitsu training during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tooth Hurty Media originated the comedy project and helped bring it to FOX.
HBO
Cable: The second season of HBO’s House of the Dragon will premiere in June. JB Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery’s head of global streaming & games, shared the news at a media conference Q&A on March 4th. He cited the Game of Thrones spinoff as an HBO tentpole series; it's expected to contribute to a financial comeback for the company as they transition out of a dry period triggered by the Hollywood strikes. An exact debut date was not announced, though content chief Casey Bloys and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav previously commented that the season would arrive in early summer. House of the Dragon takes place 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones and follows the House Targaryen. Cast members include Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. George R.R. Martin, author of the A Game of Thrones novel and subsequent series, remains an executive producer.
Andy Allo - Upload / Amazon
Streaming: Amazon renewed Upload for a fourth and final season. This sci-fi comedy series from Greg Daniels (The Office) stars Robbie Amell (The DUFF) and Andy Allo (Chicago Fire, Pitch Perfect 3). HBO originally purchased the show from Daniels, but Amazon obtained the title after an executive change. Upload takes place in a world where people can be “uploaded” to the afterlife. As showrunner, executive producer, writer, and creator, Daniels recently shared he planned for Upload to run four seasons. Once the fourth season finishes, Daniels will be busy developing a new take on The Office and managing his animation company, Bandera Entertainment.
“When I conceived Upload many years ago, I had the story arced out over four seasons, so I am thrilled to make the ending the fans deserve and the characters and creative team have been working towards,” said Daniels.
Peacock’s upcoming suspense thriller Long Bright River cast Britne Oldford. The limited series is based on the eponymous New York Times bestseller by Liz Moore, which follows a Philadelphia police officer who patrols a neighborhood overwhelmed by the opioid crisis. Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!, Mean Girls) is set to star as police officer Mickey, while Oldford (Dead Ringers, The Umbrella Academy) was cast in a recurring role as Aura. Nicholas Pinnock (Fortitude) will also lead, joined by recently announced recurring cast members Dash Mihok (Ray Donovan), Matthew Del Negro (City on a Hill), Harriet Sansom Harris (Hacks), Patch Darragh (Succession), and Perry Mattfeld (In the Dark). Moore is writing and executive producing alongside Nikki Toscano (Hunters).
Tell Me Lies cast Jacob Rodriguez (Attaway General) in a recurring role. In the second season of this Hulu original series, Rodriguez will play Chris, the brother of Lydia (Natalee Linez) who is thrilled to attend Baird College and takes interest in Pippa (Sonia Mena). Katherine Hughes was also cast in a recurring role as Molly, a friend of Diana (Alicia Crowder). Tell Me Lies follows an up-and-down relationship over the course of eight years, which envelops any character that gets too close. This group of college friends becomes consumed by betrayal, sex, and lies. The series is adapted from Carola Lovering’s novel of the same name, and she serves as a consulting producer.
Bell Canada’s TV1 landed the Disrepair series. Samora Smallwood (Star Trek: Discovery) will star alongside Matthew Sauvé (One Night Stand) and Tommy James Murphy (Last Resort). The limited series focuses on experiences with addiction. It will be directed by Andrew Ravindran (Friendly Visit), who created Disrepair with Sauvé and Murphy. Filming for this redemption story will begin in the fall in the small town of Oshawa, Canada and later move to the Toronto area.
Netflix renewed Avatar: The Last Airbender for seasons two and three. The series is a live-action adaptation of the hit Nickelodeon series of the same name. It will follow the same storyline structure as the animated version, ending after season three. Avatar takes place in a world divided into four nations — the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. The nations once lived in harmony due to the Avatar, aka the master of all four elements, who maintained peace. However, the Avatar’s current incarnation has not revealed themselves, and war has broken out. Actors include Gordon Cormier (Christmas Under the Stars), Ian Ousley (13 Reasons Why), Kiawentiio Tarbell (Beans), Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-0), Dallas Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (The Mandalorian).
Peacock’s horror thriller series Teacup cast Luciano Leroux (Yellowjackets, A Million Little Things). Leroux was recently added as a series regular alongside Kathy Baker (Picket Fences, Edward Scissorhands), Boris McGiver (For Life, House of Cards), Caleb Dolden (The Requiem Boogie), and Emilie Pierre (A Colony, The Guide to the Perfect Family). Previously announced cast members include Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman, and Chase Spencer. Inspired by Robert McCammon’s novel Stinger, Teacup was written for television by Ian McCulloch. The official logline vaguely describes the series as a group of people in rural Georgia who must work together to survive a mysterious threat.
Rosalind Eleazar will star in Netflix’s Missing You. The series was adapted by Harlan Coben (Tell No One, Safe) and is currently filming in the U.K. Missing You follows detective Kat Donovan (Eleazar) when she finds her estranged fiance on a dating app and is thrown back into the mystery of her father’s murder. Quay Street Productions and Coben’s Final Twist Productions are producing. The series is written by Victoria Asare-Archer (Stay Close) and directed by Sean Spencer (The Lazarus Project).
Karen Pittman and Wood Harris joined Netflix’s Forever series. Pittman (The Morning Show, And Just Like That…) and Harris (The Wire, Empire) will star opposite Michael Cooper Jr. (On the Come Up) and Lovie Simone (Greenleaf) in this drama created by Mara Brock Akil (Girlfriends, The Game). Forever is an adaptation of Judy Blume’s 1975 novel. The book was influential but also controversial as it explores teenage romance and sex. Akil’s adaptation follows two Black teens, Keisha Clark (Simone) and Justin Edwards (Cooper Jr.) exploring romance and identity in 2018 Los Angeles as they become each other's firsts. Pittman and Harris play Justin’s parents, with Pittman acting as the paranoid mother and Harris as Justin’s more lenient dad.
Natasha Marc will return to Mayor of Kingstown. Marc (The Rookie, Timeless) portrayed Cherry in season one of the Paramount+ series, and she will reprise her role in the third season. Mayor of Kingstown follows a family of power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan who make money via incarceration. The series addresses themes of racism, corruption, and inequality in a town that lacks order and justice. Season three introduces a new Russian mob and a drug war, which takes place in and out of the prison. Cast members include Hugh Dillon, Tobi Bamtefa, Taylor Handley, Emma Laird, Derek Webster, Hamish Allan-Headley, Nishi Munshi, and Michael Beach. Season three is currently in production in Pittsburgh.
Apple TV+’s Murderbot added four new faces to its cast. Newcomers include Sabrina Wu (Joy Ride), Tattiawna Jones (Orphan Black: Echoes), Akshaye Khanna (Polite Society), and Tamara Podemski (Outer Range). Based on Martha Wells’ book series The Murderbot Diaries, the 10-episode Murderbot series tells the story of a self-hacking security android whose fear of human emotion contradicts its attraction to “vulnerable” clients. The murderbot must conceal its free will and complete a dangerous assignment, despite its existential thoughts. Wu plays Pin-Lee, Jones plays Arada, Khanna plays Ratthi, and Podemski plays Bharadwaj. The ensemble cast also includes Noma Dumezweni (The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins Returns) and David Dastmalchian (The Dark Knight, Dune).
Mindy Kaling’s Netflix basketball series cast Uche Agada (Rise). Max Greenfield (The Neighborhood, New Girl) and Dane DiLiegro (Prey) were cast alongside Agada in this untitled series that takes place in the world of professional basketball. The plotline follows Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson), who becomes president of the Los Angeles Waves after a scandal forces her brother to step down. Isla must prove that she can hold her own in the male-dominated space to her family, the board, and the sports community. Additional cast members include Brenda Song (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody), Drew Tarver (The Other Two), and Scott MacArthur (The Mick, No Hard Feelings). Agada plays Dyson Gibbs, eager to prove himself as a basketball player called up from the D-League by Isla. Mindy Kaling writes and executive produces.
The New Orleans spinoff to The Family Business set an ensemble cast. Officially titled The Family Business New Orleans, this BET+ series stars Lela Rochon (Waiting to Exhale, Any Given Sunday) and Brandon T. Jackson (Tropic Thunder). There were 16 new cast members added, including Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), Orlando Jones (Evolution), and David Banner (The Butler, This Christmas). They are joined by Ben Stephens, Pooch Hall, Quincy Brown, Nicole Galicia, Erica Hubbard, Sarah Carter, Stan Shaw, Bern Nadette Stanis, Nayirah Teshali, Sacaiah Shaw, Jensen Atwood, AzMarie Livingston, and Deric Augustine. The spinoff features an underground club called Midnight Blues, which attracts a diverse mix of tourists and New Orleans citizens. The owners are Big Shirley Duncan (Rochon), her brother Floyd (Hall), and her son Marquis (Jackson), who must navigate their complicated family history and a current turf war. The spinoff is currently shooting in New Orleans and Los Angeles. A premier date is yet to be announced.
Prime Video picked up The Davenports series adaptation from Alloy Entertainment, the production unit behind You, Gossip Girl, and The Vampire Diaries. The series is based on the bestselling YA novel of the same name by Krystal Marquis. Set in 1910 America, the story follows the Davenports, one of the few Black families who hold significant wealth and status. Their economic success is a product of the formerly enslaved patriarch William’s entrepreneurship. William’s daughters, Olivia and Helen, make their way through society and find love, even when it may be forbidden. The project is co-produced by Warner Bros and Amazon MGM studios, and a writer is not yet attached.
Prime Video’s Reacher cast Brian Tee for season three. Tee (Expats, Chicago Med) portrays the intimidating Lieutenant Colonel Quinn, who sold military secrets a decade before. Johnny Berchtold (The Passenger) and Roberto Montesinos (We Bought a Zoo) also joined the cast as series regulars, while Daniel David Stewart (For All Mankind) joined as a recurring cast member. During season three, Reacher (Alan Ritchson) goes undercover to rescue an informant held by a former adversary. Production has started in Toronto.
Janice burgess
Industry: Artists First signed actress Brittany Bradford. Known for acting in Max’s dramedy Julia, Bradford’s other acting credits include Fire Country, Fear the Walking Dead, New Amsterdam, The Watcher, Dead Ringers, and The Gilded Age. She also starred in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ play The Comeuppance and Alice Childress’ play Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White.
The Backyardigans creator Janice Burgess died at 72. The New York Times reported that she died on March 5th in hospice care in Manhattan. While Burgess was known for the Nickelodeon hit The Backyardigans, she also co-developed Bubble Guppies and executive produced Blue’s Clues, Allegra’s Window, and Gullah Gullah Island. She graduated from Brandeis University in 1973 and began her career at Pittsburgh’s WQED TV station. Eventually, Burgess transitioned to a position at Children’s Television Workshop, creating a pilot for a live-action full-body puppet show called Me and My Friends. The series was not picked up, though the concept was animated and became The Backyardigans. The children’s series ran from 2004 to 2013, spanning 80 episodes.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the great architects of Nick Jr. and creator of the globally beloved series, ‘The Backyardigans,’” Nickelodeon said in a statement. “Janice was one of the greats — inherently creative and kind, and dedicated to the preschool audience everywhere.”“We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the great architects of Nick Jr. and creator of the globally beloved series, ‘The Backyardigans,'” Nickelodeon said in a statement. “Janice was one of the greats–inherently creative and kind, and dedicated to the preschool audience everywhere.”
Rockmond Dunbar’s Disney lawsuit continues. Two years ago, Dunbar sued 20th Television and Disney for releasing him from the 9-1-1 set when he sought religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. On March 8th, a federal judge stated that the legal battle could go to trial. The issues on the table are whether Dunbar sincerely held religious belief within the meaning of Title VII if the defendants failed to engage in the interactive process, and whether reasonable accommodations could have been made available to Dunbar without undue hardship to the defendants. However, the federal judge did not grant Dunbar’s Title VII claim because of failure to provide religious accommodations. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. This means the court rejected the idea that Dunbar was subject to religious discrimination. Both parties have until March 24th to set a trial date.
Blue Bloods and How To Get Away with Murder producer Laurence Andries was charged with sexual assault. He received six felony counts of sexual assault in Los Angeles, with the John Doe accuser claiming that Andries drugged and assaulted him in June 2022. Andries was arrested in August 2023 when the charges were filed by the L.A. District Attorney, yet he is currently free on a $150,000 bond and awaits a preliminary hearing. The John Doe was featured in an ABC-7 interview this week, calling attention to the charges. John Doe cited that Andries was a mentor to him, and Doe believes Andries drugged his beverage when they met for drinks. The charges include sodomy, oral copulation, and sexual penetration by anesthesia or controlled substance of an unconscious or asleep person, as stated by court documents. In addition to his production credits, Andries wrote for Six Feet Under, Boomtown, The Pacific, Being Mary Jane, and Superstition.
Independent Artist Group signed talent agent Fatmata Kamara. The veteran agent came from A3 Artists Agency, which recently halted operations. She represented Larenz Tate (Power Book II: Ghost), Genneya Walton (Candy Cane Lane, Daredevil: New Beginnings), Shahadi Wright Joseph (The Lion King), Clark Backo (Venom 3), and Will Catlett (A Thousand and One, Constellation). Kamara will transfer all of these clients to IAG. Before working for A3, Kamara was a talent agent at CAA, representing Gabrielle Union, H.E.R., Miles Brown, and Jesse Williams. She has a positive reputation for identifying rising stars and nurturing them as they navigate their careers.
Saturday Night Live’s Marcello Hernandez signed with LBI Entertainment. Hernandez is a Cuban Dominican stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. SNL currently uses him as a featured player on Weekend Update and in various sketches alongside stars like Pedro Pascal, Bad Bunny, Ana de Armas, and Jason Momoa. Hernandez has been a stand-up comedian since age 18, opening for headliners Jo Koy, Dave Chappelle, Tim Dillon, Mark Viera, and Gilbert Gottfried.
Kevin Bray signed an overall deal with HBO. Bray is known for directing the pilots of FX’s Clipped, Suits, and Unprisoned, as well as multiple episodes of Succession. He began his career directing music videos and commercials, and he transitioned to television after helming two features, All About the Benjamins and Walking Tall. Additional television directorial credits include Insecure, Black-ish, The Morning Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Rap Sh!t, and The Penguin. Bray’s two-year deal with HBO accords that Bray will direct exclusively for the network.
Ravi Ahuja was promoted to president and COO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Ahuja is currently the chairman of global television studios and corporate development, and he will keep this title despite his promotion going into effect April 1st. Before Sony, Ahuja spent 12 years as CFO at Virgin Entertainment Group and eventually transitioned to the role of CFO at Fox Networks Group in 2007. There, he oversaw finance, strategy, and business development for Fox’s various business units. Ahuja’s time at Sony Pictures Television thus far has been marked by growth of global production capabilities, and an increase in the number of shows produced by the studio. Most notably, Ahuja championed a collaboration with PlayStation Production to obtain the IP for The Last of Us. Acquisitions under Ahuja include Industrial Media (now SPT — Nonfiction), home to American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and 90 Day Fiance, and Bad Wolf, a U.K. drama producer. He will report to CEO Tony Vinciquerra.
Nas and Power Universe EP Mark Canton are creating a series about the first Black International Chess Grandmaster, Maurice Ashley. Produced by Green Hummingbird Entertainment and Alexandra Renee-Scott, the eight-episode series will take place in New York City and depict Ashley’s groundbreaking journey. Ashley was born in Jamaica and grew up in Brooklyn, and he solidified the Grandmaster title in 1999. He founded the Harlem Chess Center and coached national champions like Harlem’s Raging Rooks and the Dark Knights. In 2016, Ashley was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame. He has also penned three books; Chess for Success was released in 2005, and Move by Move and The Life Changing Magic of Chess will be released in the future.
“I’m so humbled to have my story told and so grateful that Nas has embraced this project,” shared Ashley. “It is not just a story about me, it’s about the community of people who have influenced and enriched my life too. I love the idea of shining light on the greatness of so many people and what they have done to contribute to my success and success in their own right. It’s a happy story about doing something that no-one expected and taking the road less traveled, which is always exciting for me.”
Paramount CFO Naveen Chopra promised management is exploring alternative ways to create value for shareholders. Chopra explained the media conglomerate is chipping away at debt, cutting costs, increasing streaming profitability, and “focused on execution.” There has been M&A speculation, although Chopra declined to comment on Skydance Media, Byron Allen, or Warner Bros. Discovery at a Morgan Stanley media conference. He stated that Paramount is looking at “creative options to divest or otherwise monetize non-core assets.” The most recent examples can be seen with Simon & Schuster, real estate, and Bellator. Chopra elaborated on the company's $1 billion impairment charge, which partially came from severance costs after significant layoffs.
However, the impairment charge was largely due to a shift in content strategy. He remarked that this was “a decision we made about how we are going to think about the Paramount+ service, where it is going to live, what kind of content we are going to focus on, what we are going to rely on partners to provide.” As the linear ad business improves, the attitudes at Paramount+ grow more positive.
