Small Screen: Netflix Released Teaser Trailer For Issa Rae’s ‘A Man in Full,’ CBS Renewed ‘NCIS: Sydney’
NBC
Broadcast: CBS renewed NCIS: Sydney for a second season. The procedural drama is available to stream on Paramount+ Australia. Sydney is the first international iteration of the franchise, which debuted on Paramount+ Australia and CBS in the U.S. in November of 2023. The premiere brought in over 10.2 million viewers on U.S. linear television, including an encore episode. As the series continued, each episode averaged more than 8 million multi-platform viewers in live-plus-35 ratings. CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach commented that Sydney strengthened the global power of the franchise on broadcast and streaming. The Australian series stars Olivia Swann (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Todd Lasance (Without Remorse), Sean Sagar (The Gentlemen), Tuuli Narkle (Mystery Road: Origin), Mavournee Hazel (Neighbours), and William McInnes (Blue Heelers).
NBC renewed Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D for the 2024-2025 season. New episodes for the trio are released every Wednesday, with Med currently on season nine, Fire on season twelve, and P.D. on season eleven. Replays are available on Peacock the following day. Since returning in January after the writers’ and actors’ strikes, all three series averaged above 10 million viewers a week. The Chicago universe is also experiencing some turnover, with Kara Killmer exiting Fire, Tracy Spiridakos leaving P.D., and Luke Mitchell joining Med.
NBC also renewed Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU. The former was renewed for its 24th season and the latter for its 26th. Meanwhile, Law & Order: Organized Crime is currently in its fourth season and NBC has not made a decision about renewal. Organized Crime’s ratings are the lowest of Dick Wolf’s NBC shows, and it witnessed significant showrunner turnover. Law & Order currently stars Reid Scott, Tony Goldwyn, Mehcad Brooks, Camryn Manheim, Hugh Dancy, and Odelya Halevi. The series averages 7.7 million viewers. SVU’s current cast includes Kelli Giddish, Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, and Octavio Pisano. SVU averages 11.2 million viewers each week.
Bridgerton’s Shelley Conn joined the cast of Wisting. In its third season, the Beta Film thriller series is aired by ARD in Germany, SBS in Australia, Max in Latin America, AMC in Spain and Portugal, and Antenna in Greece. Four episodes from season three will premiere on Viaplay later this month in Scandinavia, while the second half of the season starring Conn premieres later this year. The new season follows a young boy who disappears from his family’s hotel while an employee close to the boy’s family is murdered.
The CW’s The Librarians: The Next Chapter cast Bluey Robinson (Dirty God, Britannia). Robinson is joined by series regulars Callum McGowan (Marie Antoinette, Raven’s Hollow), Olivia Morris (Hotel Portofino, RRR), and Caroline Loncq (The Protégé, Killing Eve). The series is a spinoff from the original The Librarians, which followed a group of custodians who discover dangerous, powerful artifacts at a magical repository. The Next Chapter follows a “Librarian” (McGowan) who time traveled to and is stuck in the present. He unintentionally releases important magic, requiring a new team of Librarians to rectify his mistake. Robinson plays Connor Green, “The Historian” who was once punished for his faith in magic and now deals among conspiracists.
Cable: You cast Griffin Matthews (Genius, The Flight Attendant). Matthews was cast as a series regular for the fifth and final season alongside Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect, True Blood). He will play Teddy Lockwood, Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) sarcastic and loyal brother-in-law. You is based on the eponymous book by Caroline Kepnes and was adapted for television by Sera Gamble and Greg Berlanti. Season five does not have a premiere date set.
Streaming: David Harewood (Homeland) will join Happy Face in a recurring role. He joins previously announced cast members Tamera Tomakili (Fruitvale Station, Winning Time), Annaleigh Ashford (Masters of Sex), Dennis Quaid (The Day After Tomorrow, The Parent Trap), and James Wolk (Mad Men, You Again). Khiyla Aynne (Circuit Breakers) and Benjamin Mackey (The Morning Show) also joined the series as regulars. Happy Face is inspired by Melissa Moore’s real-life story, which she wrote about in her autobiography, Shattered Silence, and speaks about on her eponymous podcast. The series follows Quaid’s character, an incarcerated serial killer, and Melissa’s estranged father. He re-enters Melissa’s life after decades of no contact, and Melissa must determine if an innocent man should be executed for a crime her father committed. Melissa reckons with her identity and discovers her father’s impact on his victims’ families. Harewood portrays the beloved talk show host Dr. Greg, who receives a mysterious phone call revealing secrets from Melissa’s past. Paramount+ and CBS Studios shared a photo of Ashford on Instagram, announcing the first day of filming.
Netflix announced that the third season of Heartstopper will premiere in October. The eight-episode season will follow the progression of Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick’s (Kit Connor) relationship. Season two ended with Nick coming to terms with Charlie’s mental health struggles, and this will remain a major theme for season three. Hearstopper is adapted from Alice Oseman’s eponymous novel series. Oseman posted on Instagram in November that season three will introduce a key character from her first novel, Solitaire. Darragh Hand (Grace) will play Michael Holden, “a quirky, eccentric optimist with a sunshine disposition.” The cast also includes Yasmin Finney, William Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, and Tobie Donovan.
“While Heartstopper will always celebrate the joyful and point towards hope, I’m really excited that we are allowing the tone of the show to mature alongside our beloved characters growing up,” shared Oseman. “Mental health, sex, university ambitions, and more: Nick, Charlie, and the Heartstopper teens are getting older, learning more about themselves and each other, and experiencing new desires, new fears, and new joys as they approach adulthood.”
Netflix also released an official teaser trailer for A Man in Full. Co-produced by Regina King (Ray, If Beale Street Could Talk) and David E. Kelley (The Practice), the series follows one man’s fall from power and its ripple effects. A Man in Full is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Wolfe and stars Jeff Daniels (Dumb and Dumber, The Squid and the Whale). The series will be released on Netflix on May 2nd, 2024.
Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty, The Mindy Project) will star in the second season of Goosebumps. This season of the Disney+ anthology series follows adolescent twins who find themselves wrapped up in a mystery. During their investigation, they became involved in the story of four teenagers who disappeared in 1994. Ortiz plays Jen, a Brooklyn police detective whose past is connected to adolescent tragedy. She will act opposite David Schwimmer, who plays the twins’ father. Goosebumps is based on R. L. Stine’s eponymous children’s book series. Released in 2023, season one’s plot followed five high schoolers who investigated a decades-old death and discovered their parents’ secretive pasts.
It was later announced that Elijah Cooper, Galilea La Salvia, and Francesca Noel will be series regulars for season two of Goosebumps. Cooper (That Girl Lay Lay) will play CJ, La Salvia (Party Down) will play Frankie, and Noel (R#J) will play Alex. They are joined by Sam McCarthy (Dead to Me) and Jayden Bartels (Side Hustle), who portray fraternal twins Devin and Cece, respectively.
Nine Perfect Strangers cast Henry Golding. The second season of the Hulu series will star Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) alongside Mark Strong (1917, Zero Dark Thirty) and Lena Olin (Alias, The Unbearable Lightness of Being). Based on the book of the same name by Liane Moriarty, season one starred Nicole Kidman as the director of a health and wellness resort. Plot details for season two have not been disclosed, though additional cast members include Murray Bartlett, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Dolly De Leon, King Princess, Aras Aydin, and Lucas Englander. Golding will play a character named Peter.
Foundation cast Brandon P. Bell (Dear White People) and Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing (Really Love, Hunter Street). The AppleTV+ series rounded out its cast for season three. Bell and Wong-Loi-Sing are joined by Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones), Cherry Jones (Succession), Synnøve Karlsen (Last Night in Soho), Cody Fern (American Horror Story), Tómas Lemarquis (Blade Runner 2049), and Leo Bill (Becoming Elizabeth). They join previously announced cast members Troy Kotsur (CODA) and Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). Foundation is based on Isaac Asimov’s trilogy, which tells the story of exiles who hope to save the Galactic Empire by defying it. Four major characters transcend space and time to save humanity, navigating death, loyalty, and complicated relationships. Bell will play Han Pritcher and Wong-Loi-Sing will play Song.
Diarra Kilpatrick commented on the premiere of her BET+ series, Diarra From Detroit. Executive produced by Kenya Barris, the eight-episode series is Kilpatrick’s first from BET Studios. The mystery dramedy was created by and stars Kilpatrick, who plays divorced schoolteacher Diarra Brickland. Diarra grows intent on solving an old missing person’s case after she was stood up on a Tinder date. The cast includes Phylicia Rashad, Morris Chestnut, DomiNque Perry, Bryan Terrell Clark, Claudia Logan, Jon Chaffin, and Shannon Wallace. Barris believes Kilpatrick’s writing, humor, and vision are “something special,” especially during a time when the industry lacks projects promoting Black female leads. Diarra From Detroit premiered Thursday, March 21st on BET+.
“I come as one, I stand as 10,000…” Kilpatrick shared. “I think about the fact that in 2012 I used my tax return to make a web series. It’s been a long journey, and I’m really grateful to all the people who have become a part of it, and I’m grateful to myself for being able to get to my dream.”
Paramount+ announced the release of its animated series ARK in the U.S. and Canada with a YouTube trailer. The series stars Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once, Crazy Rich Asians), Vin Diesel (Fast & Furious), Russell Crowe (Gladiator), and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction, Westworld). Based on the acclaimed video game, ARK follows 21st-century paleontologist Helena Walker (Madeleine Madden) who finds herself on a primeval island filled with resurrected prehistoric creatures. As she navigates this mysterious place, she creates allies from different historical periods. The series premieres in additional countries on Paramount+ on April 19th.
Prime Video’s Bosch spinoff series cast Maggie Q (Designated Survivor, The Protégé) as Renée Ballard. The untitled series stems from the Amazon MGM Studios’ Bosch franchise, based on Michael Connelly’s detective novels. This installment follows Ballard as she leads the LAPD Cold Case Division; it marks the first Bosch series not led by Titus Welliver (Bosch, Bosch: Legacy). The cold case unit is underfunded and run by volunteers, yet it assumes the largest caseload in L.A. Ballard enlists the help of the retired Harry Bosch (Welliver) when she discovers a dangerous conspiracy. She is new to the Bosch television universe, though the Renée Ballard series includes six books, and her character is based on Detective Mitzi Roberts of the LAPD.
Adeel Akhtar joined Netflix’s Black Doves. Akhtar (Fool Me Once) joins Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice, Love Actually) and Ben Whishaw (Skyfall) in this spy series created by Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project). Additional actors cast include Tracey Ullman (The Tracey Ullman Show), Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country), and Luther Ford (The Crown). Black Doves takes place in London during Christmas, following Knightley as Helen Webb, a mother and professional spy. For years, she has systematically relayed her politician husband’s secrets to the Black Doves, the organization she works for. When Webb’s secret lover (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her old friend Sam (Whishaw) protects her as the two investigate the murder. They uncover an enormous conspiracy that connects the dark sides of London with a major geopolitical crisis.
Karen Pittman departed And Just Like That… shortly before the season three premiere. Pittman played Nya Wallace, a recurring character during season one, and was promoted to a series regular for season two. She was a series regular on AppleTV+’s The Morning Show when she joined the Sex and the City sequel, and she will star in Netflix’s upcoming Forever. Sources stated that Nya was written into the script for the third season of And Just Like That… and Pittman planned to return. However, scheduling proved difficult as Pittman attempted to balance three different series on separate networks. Production for And Just Like That… is scheduled to begin in May.
Disney+ released an official trailer for the upcoming season of Doctor Who. The Doctor and Ruby Sunday will traverse time and space as they leave Regency-era England for war-torn future worlds. Their travels in the TARDIS, their time-traveling contraption, introduce the two characters to friends and enemies. Doctor Who will be released on Disney+ on Friday, May 10th at 4:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. ET.
Tawal Panyacosit - esther sun
Industry: Sean Cohan is focused on developing Bell Media. Cohan previously worked at A+E for 15 years, followed by his role as chief growth officer and president at Nielsen. He joined Bell Media as president last November. Upon speaking to Deadline in New York, Cohan shared his company is “pot committed” and will continue to “put a couple more chips on the table.” In other words, Bell Media is increasing content spending, while other companies cut their content budgets, though the company did implement two rounds of layoffs recently. Bell Media includes the CTV broadcast network, the French-language service Noovo, sports networks TSN and RSD, multiple specialty channels, an advertising business, radio stations, and the local streamer Crave. Beyond content spending, Cohan’s strategies for the future include free ad-supported channels, wider distribution for Crave, and pushing program sales. Crave came into a programming deal with Fox, recently greenlit multiple originals, and now is offered directly to Prime Video subscribers.
Cohan commented on Bell’s range of content, explaining, “There’s what people would consider legacy pieces in that mix and a bunch of very future-facing properties. The challenge is taking these unique beloved brands, this great content and the strong people we have, and point them at a future where people are watching as much or more video than they were yesterday. It’s like being a storyteller that still informs, still entertains, still delights and provokes… but doing that across a range of platforms.”
Tawal Panyacosit signed with M88. Story editor of Max’s The Girls on the Bus, Panyacosit’s writing credits include Peacock’s Vampire Academy and the CW’s Life After First Failure. He also co-created, co-developed, and co-executive produced Life After First Failure. Raised in San Francisco, Panyacosit is the child of Chinese and Thai immigrants. He received a Bachelor’s Degree from Brown University and a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University, and he loves all storytelling that is magical, mystical, mythological, and musical. Panyacosit is also the co-founder of the Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity, a volunteer organization that fosters accurate and authentic storytelling in entertainment, as well as improves working conditions for TV writers.
Neda Niroumand joined ColorCreative’s management team. Niroumand is a literary manager and producer who formerly worked at LINK and Equitable Mgmt. She will now report to Talitha Watkins, management and producer president. As a manager and producer, Niroumand will establish and delegate work for writers, directors, and multi-hyphenate talent. Niroumand’s client roster includes director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, documentarian and producer Jan Oxenberg, filmmaker Morrisa Maltz, and producer and writer Linda Burstyn. ColorCreative was founded by Issa Rae (Insecure, Rap Sh!t) and Deniese Davis in 2014, with Watkins joining in summer of 2020 after transferring from CAA.
Hyphenate Media Group established a leadership team. Founded by Eva Longoria and Cris Abrego, the content studio and media holding company found its executives. Jada Miranda, Karla Pita Loor, and Alex Chang were hired for the C-suite. Miranda will work as president of television; this comes after leaving her role as president of scripted television and production at STX Entertainment. Her work at STX involved co-productions with companies like HBO and NBCUniversal, including Entourage, How to Make It in America, and Chicago Fire. Loor was appointed as chief strategy officer, where she will oversee Hyphenate’s communications, public relations, and brand development. She will leave her post as executive VP of enterprise inclusion and social responsibility at Banijay Americas, but she will continue to advise the company as an executive consultant. Chang was hired as chief operating officer and will leave his position working as Banijay Americas’ senior VP of finance and strategy. All three executives will report to Abrego and Longoria.
Jane Wu signed with Verve. Wu is known for directing and producing the award-winning Netflix series Blue Eye Samurai, which was recently renewed for a second season. She will executive produce this season and direct multiple episodes alongside creators Michael Green and Amber Noizumi. Blue Eye Samurai follows a young female warrior who has been ostracized by Edo-period Japan. It stars voice actors Maya Erkskine, Kenneth Branagh, Randall Park, and George Takei. Wu’s film credits include Mulan, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, The Avengers, and Shang-Chi. She’s also worked on series like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and Interview With the Vampire.
