Small Screen: ‘Cherish The Day’ Casts Henry Simmons And Joy Bryant; ‘Top Boy’ Season 4 Coming From Netflix; MultiChoice Africa's New CEO
Kapil Talwalkar - NBC
Broadcast: NBC’s revamp of their classic legal drama Night Court casts Kapil Talwalkar (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) as series regular Neil. The Big Bang Theory’s Melissa Rauch as executive producer, and John Larroquette reprising his original role. The half-hour pilot episode is written and executive produced by Dan Rubin adapted from Reinhold Weege’s original multi-camera series. Talwalker’s Neil acts as the court’s clerk whose job has gotten more difficult with the arrival of new optimistic judge Abby Stone (Raunch). William Raunch will also executive produce alongside his wife with their production company After January.
ITV’s innovative drama series The Murder of Stephen Lawrence has just cast Sharlene Whyte, Steve Coogan, and Hugh Quarshie in the upcoming sequel entitled Stephen. Whyte will play Doreen Lawrence alongside Quarshie who will reprise his role as Neville Lawrence from the original. Coogan takes on the role of DCI Clive Driscoll the lead investigator on the murder of Stephen Lawrence. The sophomoric effort is set thirteen years after the racially motivated attack and murder of the Lawrences’ son on the night of April 22, 1993. The show is set to premiere on ITV later this year.
Henry Simmons and Joy Bryant - Rich Polk/Stringer/Marcus Ingram
Cable: Cherish the Day, an anthology series from OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and Ava Duvernay have just cast NYPD Blue star Henry Simmons and Parenthood’s Joy Bryant. ARRAY Filmworks, Harpo Films, and Warner Bros. Television are all attached as producers. The plot follows: ‘the relationship of one couple, with each episode spanning a single day. In season two, the rekindling of a romance is told — the love story of Ellis (Henry Simmons) and Sunday (Joy Bryant), who fell in love in high school but find themselves reunited in beautiful New Orleans. Ellis is a former basketball player who is now a single father of two, and Sunday is a vegan celebrity chef on the cusp of fame. Each episode of the season-long narrative unfolds in a single day to reveal significant moments in a relationship.’ The second season will premiere in 2022 and begin production sometime this year.
A new musical drama entitled IDOL: The Coup is coming out from JTBC. Kwak Shi-yang, Hani, and Kim Min-kyu have all been cast in this drama series about failed idols searching for one last success before they go their separate ways. “Hani plays a failed idol named Kim Jena from the group Cotton Candy that debuted six years ago. Kwak Shi-yang plays Cha Jae-hyuk, the CEO of the entertainment agency that manages Cotton Candy. Known as the ‘Human Calculator,’ he’s extremely shrewd and cold. Finally, Kim Min-kyu has been cast as Seo Ji-han, an idol member of the trendy, popular group Mas that’s also managed by Kwak Shi-yang’s company.” The show is written by Jung Yoon-jung with director Noh Jong-chan and it is set to premiere later this year.
C Pam Zhang - Penguin Random House
Streaming: C Pam Zhang’s debut novel How Much Of These Hills Is Gold, is being made into a television series. The Endeavor Content supported production company, The Ink Factory, known for their success with The Night Manager, has joined forces with Anita Goug from The Farewell and her production company Kindred Spirit to make this TV show. Penning the script for the series is writer Hansol Jung. The novel’s plot follows two siblings as they attempt to carry their recently deceased father across a rough and rugged landscape. Zhang spoke about this opportunity saying: “It feels quietly revolutionary to think that I might see two Chinese American kids swagger and stride across the screen, heroes of an American cinematic tradition I have always adored – it’s exactly where they belong, where Chinese Americans have always belonged. What a joy to have this team that already includes female and queer perspectives from the Asian diaspora, and that I hope will grow to include even more voices.” Executive producers are Joseph Tsai, Arthur Wang, Stephen Cornwell, Simon Cornwell, and Butler for The Ink Factory.
Netflix has picked up the fourth season for the original Channel Four production Top Boy. After its successful season three-run, the streamer has decided to try its hand at the next season. Instead of following a two-four-episode season split like the first two seasons, Netflix will be doing a 10 episode season similar to what they did for season three. Plot details have yet to be revealed; however, there are many questions left unanswered after the season 3 finale. Fans suspect they will finally have closure with this new season. Ashley Walters (Dushane), Kane 'Kano' Robinson (Sully), and Micheal Ward (Jamie) will all be reprising their roles. Season four of Top Boy is set to be released by the end of this year.
Suzaane Douglas - John Lamparski
Industry: Netflix’s previous director of product innovation for growth, Ajay Arora, has been selected by Disney for the role of senior VP of product, commerce, and experimentation. With more than twenty years of experience under his belt, Disney believes Arora is the best possible candidate to supervise and promote the growth of Disney Streaming groups' commerce and experimentation. He will be stationed in San Francisco but work with New York and Los Angeles too. He and his team are responsible for Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus, and Star Plus. Arora reports to Jerrell Jimerson, EVP of product and design for Disney Streaming.
The Parent ‘Hood actress Suzanne Douglas has sadly passed away at only 64 years old. In a statement, Douglas’s rep said: “The industry has lost a truly talented artist with the passing of Suzanne Douglas. She touched everyone who knew her and was lovely in every sense of the word. The family appreciates your support and asks for their privacy during this difficult time.” Unfortunately, no details of her death have been released to the public. Her co-star Robert Townsend paid his respects on Twitter saying: “My heart is full, because yesterday I lost, my amazing dancing partner on TV for 5 years Suzanne Douglas. We did “Work” on THE PARENT’HOOD. I just remember a lot of laughter and a lot of tears… her regal bright light will be missed.”
MultiChoice Africa CEO Brand de Villiers is stepping down from the position after six years and his successor is Fhulufhelo "Fhulu" Badugela. Badugela, known for her role as the MultiChoice Africa Southern region director, joined the company back in 20o7. Her previous jobs at MultiChoice and M-Net include HR manager at MultiChoice, M-Net operations director, head of HR at MultiChoice Africa, as well as chief people officer. MultiChoice has yet to release a statement.
Netflix has announced its new and more affordable R49 per month mobile plan in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and other sub-Saharan African countries. ‘Netflix's R49 mobile-only plan in South Africa, and $3.99 for sub-Saharan Africa, will now compete against MultiChoice's Showmax that has an R39 per month mobile-only plan for South Africa that costs $2.99 in the rest of Africa.’ The R49 joins Netflix’s three other plans: basic, standard, and premium and it can be accessed by tablet or smartphone.
