Small Screen: Billy Porter Makes Directorial Debut, Union Talks Approach
Elodie Yung - The cleaning lady / fox
Broadcast: Billy Porter has made his directorial debut on Fox’s Accused. The anthology series premiered on January 22, and follows the story of a different defendant each episode. Each episode also uses a different director. Notably, the show does not highlight the prosecution, preferring to tell the story from the defendants’ side. The Accused episode directed by Porter, called “Robyn’s Story,” stars Broadway’s J. Harrison Ghee as a drag queen embroiled in a legal dispute after becoming involved with a closeted man. “It’s an unapologetically queer story on Fox primetime,” Porter said, adding that “we need to get it in front of other people who don’t see it, because that’s the point.” Producer Howard Gordon has emphasized his goal of tailoring each episode’s director to its story – Porter has made a name for himself on Broadway and in Hollywood as a prominent queer creator. Gordon says Billy was his “first call,” suited perfectly to the nuanced and powerful telling of “Robyn’s Story.” Porter has portrayed drag queens throughout his career, as well, even winning a Tony for his role as Lola in “Kinky Boots,” where he met Ghee. At a West Hollywood celebration of his first directing gig, Porter quipped, “I have fought for a really long time to help the world understand that fabulous and serious can coexist and do often.” Accused runs Tuesdays at 9/8c on FOX, and previous episodes can be found on Fubo.
ABC’s upcoming series The Company You Keep has cast Sachin Bhatt of Queer as Folk, Grace and Frankie, and Santa Clarita Diet in a recurring role. The Company You Keep, based on the Korean series My Fellow Citizens, follows a con man and an undercover CIA officer who begin a relationship that is complicated by conflicts of interest. While con man Charlie becomes involved in the “family business,” CIA officer Emma unknowingly pursues secrets within said business, forcing both to unravel a web of their own lies to save themselves and their families. The series premieres on ABC on February 19.
Crime drama The Cleaning Lady has already been renewed for a third season at Fox following the wrap of its second season seven weeks ago. Early renewal of The Cleaning Lady may be a strategy to avoid a possible strike of writers, actors, and/or directors in the upcoming months following the expiration of the WGA contract on May 1 and that of the Directors Guild and SAG-AFTRA in June. Strikes by any or all of these unions would delay production of fall series, but early renewal means episodes could be written and on their way to production when the 2023-4 season begins in September. The Cleaning Lady tells the story of Cambodian actor Thony De La Rosa (Elodie Young), who comes to the US to pursue medical treatment for her son and sees quickly that the system is against her. In her quest to save her son, she vows not to let the system oppress and marginalize her, and becomes involved in the vast underworld of organized crime. Jeannine Renshaw (In the Dark, Good Girls) will join the series as co-showrunner alongside show developer Miranda Kwok. A release date has yet to be announced.
Court drama Night Court will return to NBC for a second season. With the series’ first four episodes garnering high viewership, NBC counts its premiere episode as the No. 1 broadcast premiere of the 2022-3 season. Night Court follows judge Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch) as she follows in the footsteps of her late father Harry Stone overseeing the night shift at a Manhattan, NY arraignment court. The show is a revamp of a 1984 sitcom by the same name. Alongside Rauch, India de Beaufort, Kapil Talkwalkar, Lacretta as Donna "Gurgs" Gurganous, and John Larroquette star.
NBC’s Lopez Vs. Lopez has added three cousins to the family: Harvey Guillén, Chelsea Rendon, and Jessica Marie Garcia. Guillén will star as Miguel, Mayan’s (Mayan Lopez) so-called intellectual cousin, known in the family for “bragging about the TED talk he gave on the cultural significance of the Hot Cheeto.” Rendon plays Luna, the free-spirited, world-traveling cousin who lives out of a van. Garcia takes the role of Yesika, a social media influencer who often goes by her handle @Hellyesika. Lopez Vs. Lopez, which also stars George Lopez and Selenis Leyva (Orange is the New Black), is a sitcom about family struggles loosely based on the real-life relationship between creators George and Mayan. The show premiered in 2022, with Mayan crediting the pandemic for bringing her and her father back together. “My parents got divorced about ten years ago,” she said, “[and] there was a time where [my dad and I] didn't speak and were estranged for about three years. The pandemic brought us back together.” The series is available on Fubo, Peacock, and Hulu, and airs on NBC on Fridays.
Mallori Johnson - Kindred/FX
Cable: FX has canceled the drama Kindred, based on Octavia Butler’s 1979 novel by the same name. Showrunner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins hopes to shop the drama to other production companies with the support of FX, as the first season covered only a third of Butler’s novel. Jacobs-Jenkins envisions three to four seasons for Kindred. The series follows an L.A. woman (Mallori Jackson) who is yanked backwards in time to the 19th century American South, then pulled back and forth from the present to that past as she tries to settle into her new home. The first season of Kindred is still available on Hulu.
neighbours - Freeview
Streaming: Amazon’s Freevee has set a release date for a collection of popular past episodes of the Australian soap Neighbours. The show, which ran for more than 30 years, was canceled in March of 2022 but is slated to make a return to the platform in the second half of 2023. Neighbours follows the lives of residents of Ramsay Street in Erinsborough, a fictional town outside of Melbourne, Australia. Former cast members Stefan Dennis, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney and Jackie Woodburne will return to the show in their previous roles. The first drop of Amazon’s past episode collection will occur on February 23, followed by a past season launching every month until the new episodes premiere.
After HBO Max axed their original Generation, Tubi has announced it will carry all 16 episodes of the show. After an initial season in 2021, HBO Max canceled the drama and, shortly thereafter, removed Generation from their platform along with a handful of other originals. Generation, available on Tubi since February 1, follows a group of high schoolers in Orange County, California, whose diverse identities challenge the status quo of their conservative community.
Uzo Aduba, a fan favorite from Netflix’s hit original Orange is the New Black, will return to the platform to star in murder mystery show The Residence. The show comes from Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers of Shondaland, and is described as a “thrilling, comedic murder mystery” that is set in the White House and features Aduba as Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective. The series is loosely based on Kate Anderson’s book The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House. The show will run 8 episodes as part of Shondaland’s deal with Netflix.
Paramount+’s Frasier sequel series has cast Toks Olagundoye of The Neighbors. The multi-camera comedy is executive produced by Kelsey Grammer, who also stars in a reprisal of his role as Frasier Crane. In the sequel, Frasier is in a different city, facing new challenges and reviving old dreams. Olagundoye plays Olivia, the head of the psychology department at an Ivy League school who is confident, warm, and professional, despite feeling “unglued” on the inside. Olivia butts heads with her senior colleague Alan (Nicholas Lyndhurst), with whom she shares an admiration for Frasier. Series regulars Jack Cutmore-Scott and Jess Salgueiro also star.
Co-chairmen and CEOs at DC have given the go-ahead to Peacemaker spinoff Waller. Peacemaker was one of the first shows in the new DC universe “Gods and Monsters,” a spinoff of popular film Suicide Squad. Starring Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, the show follows Waller in her role as director of ARGUS and the one responsible for the creation of the Suicide Squad. In a public unveiling of Chapter One, co-CEO James Gunn says of the spin-off, “we’re using the same actors; this is a continuation of Peacemaker.” DCU Chapter One will include other TV series Lanterns, Paradise Lost, Booster Gold, and animated series Creature Commandos, as well as a modern Batman & Robin film The Brave and the Bold.
Hulu and Marvel’s ill-fated four-series slate has been culled to one last show, which will remove “Marvel” from its title for its second season. The renewal of Hit-Monkey, an animated show about a superhero monkey, comes more than a year after its initial debut. Eight months ago, the only other show from the four-series slate to make it to air, MODOK, was canceled. The four shows given the go-ahead in 2019 came from Marvel Television, which was joined with Marvel Studios in 2019, resulting in the cancellation of two. Of those two, MODOK premiered in May 2021 and was canceled shortly thereafter, leaving only Hit-Monkey. The show is now under the purview of 20th Television Animation.
Emmy nominee Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) and Tom Hardy will star in Apple TV+’s new drama Lazarus. The series is based on Lars Kepler’s Joona Linna book series. Lazarus follows a young man who, along with his sister thirteen years earlier, was assumed to be the victim of a serial killer. When he is found ambling by the side of a train track, detective Saga Bauer goes undercover in the psychiatric hospital housing the killer in a bid to find the man’s sister. The show is approaching closing deals, and a release date has yet to be announced.
Cliff Curtis of Fear The Walking Dead and the Avatar films is set to appear in a recurring role in Apple TV+’s upcoming series Chief of War. Written and produced by Jason Momoa, Chief of War tells the story of the colonization of Hawai’i from the point of view of indigenous people. Momoa will also star in the show, as will Luciane Buchanan, Temuera Morrison, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Moses Goods, Siua Ikale’o, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka, and Te Kohe Tuhaka. The series began filming in October 2022 and is planned to be nine episodes. A release date has yet to be announced.
Nasfim Haque - BBC
Industry: BBC Three has appointed Nasfim Haque to the role of Head of Content. Nasfim, who has been Interim Channel Editor of BBC Three since February 2022, will oversee the network’s team on day-to-day operations, planning, and development. Haque has experience in delivering and overseeing media content for young people, BBC Three’s target audience, and previously served as Commissioning Editor in Factual Entertainment, where she had a hand in titles like Meet the Khans and James Arthur. In her time at the BBC, Haque has brought the network BAFTA-nominated Eating with my Ex and pioneering series Things Not to Say.
Warner Bros. Discovery has announced it will host its second Upfront advertising event on May 17th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The event will showcase a selection of advertising across the Warner Bros. portfolio of entertainment, sports, and news. WB hosted their first Upfront event in 2022. Chief US Advertising Sales Officer says of the event:
“This year's Upfront will shine a spotlight on how WBD's best-in-class programming and products connect brands with highly engaged audiences. We will provide new details about the ad-lite tier of our enhanced streaming service that brings together iconic programming from HBO Max and popular programming from discovery+. And we will demonstrate how our newfound measurement and currency solutions and our unmatched advanced advertising portfolio bring unprecedented value to our partners.”
Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront will also be streamed online.
The Latin Tracking Board, NALIP, the Untitled Latinx Project, and The Black List have announced 2022 finalists for the Latinx List, a showcase of the top works by up-and-coming Latinx screenwriters. Among the selected scripts are five pilots and six features. Celina Paiz and JB Herndon were selected for Sick Money, Daniel F. Pérez for 2096, Diego Lanao for The Right One Alive, Hernán Barangan for Killing Tires, and Marissa Díaz for Cochinas. Pérez’s 2096 received a WGA-minimum script deal from Netflix, of which the writer said, “I’m thrilled that 2096 is part of this year’s Latinx List, and so excited to develop with Netflix.” Black List founder Franklin Leonard encourages anyone on the hunt for scripts to give the Latinx Finalists’ a read, “whether you’re looking for a Latinx writer or not.” The Latinx List was launched in 2019 to foreground underrepresented voices in scriptwriting, and counts among its alumni Aitch Alberto (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe), Esteban Arango and Erick Castrillon (Blast Beat), Juan Avella (Bolichicos), Juan Carlos Fernandez (Green Lantern on HBO Max), David and Francisco Salazar (Nowhere), Anna Salinas (Loot), and Francesca Sloane (Mr. and Mrs. Smith).
Keenspot Entertainment’s new animated series Grubbs has cast Jaleel White, Wil Wheaton (Stand by Me), and Jodie Sweetin (Full House). Grubbs, which was adapted from Max Weaver’s eponymous graphic novels, tells the story of eight-year-old Billy “Grubbs” Watson and his imaginary friend Tyler. As Grubbs and Tyler get into mischief, his father, sister (Sweetin), teachers, and principal (White) must intervene. A streaming partner for Grubbs has yet to be announced.
United Talent Agency (UTA) has added the founder of Nexus Management Group, Ceci Kurzman, to its board of directors. Kurzman joins a board that counts among its ranks CEO Jeremy Zimmer, president David Kramer, vice chairman Jay Sures and COO Andrew Thau. Kurzman’s company Nexus Management, which began as a small management company, has since become an influential platform for private investment in consumer, media, and tech sectors. Kurzman also serves on the boards of Warner Music Group and others. UTA’s staff additions and promotions come following their acquisition of UK agency Curtis Brown Group and entertainment marketing advisory firm MediaLink, as well as an investment from the EQT firm in 2022.
In the much-publicized contract talks between the DGA, the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, it has yet to be determined which guild will kick off the bargaining. The choice of guild to go first could portend a strike (or multiple) later this year. In the past three bargaining cycles, the DGA has gone first despite a later contract; in 2010, SAG and AFTRA (pre-merger at the time) went first, and in 2007, the WGA went first and led to a 100-day strike. The importance of who goes first cannot be understated: the first guild will undoubtedly set the tone of bargaining for the rest, setting a precedent for the discussion of annual pay raises, residuals, and the like. Though each guild has different individual needs and concerns, the first guild at the bargaining table sets the tone for discussion, and companies are unlikely to give vastly different deals to subsequent groups. Regardless of who heads up the talks, it is nearly certain that the outcome of this round of contract talks will have a resounding impact on the industry.
Following his departure from The Daily Show, Trevor Noah’s production company is switching up its staff. Day Zero Productions hired Chloe Ifshin as Vice President of Scripted Television and Eugene Han as Head of Unscripted Development. Han, who will report to President Sanaz Yamin, will develop and package originals, docuseries, and documentaries for cable, broadcast, and streaming. He was previously the Senior Vice President of Development at All3Media’s Maverick TV USA. Day Zero has more than 30 upcoming projects, among them titles with MSNBC, Discovery+, and Nickelodeon, as well as a scripted series based on Keise Laymon’s Long Division.