Small Screen: ‘CSI: Vegas Loses’ Another Series Regular; Showtime Cancels ‘Black Monday’; Netflix Launches New Social Channel
Mel Rodrigeuz - CBS
Broadcast: CSI: Vegas has lost another series regular before Season two drops. Following in the footsteps of his fellow co-stars Jorja Fox and William Petersen, Mel Rodriguez will not be reprising his role as Chief Medical Examiner Hugo Ramirez. It is unknown at this time if he will be returning for future installments or cameos. ‘Season 1 opened a new chapter in Las Vegas – the city where it all began, introducing a serialized storytelling to the classic crime procedural drama. Facing an existential threat that could bring down the entire Crime Lab and release thousands of convicted killers back onto the neon-lit streets of Vegas, a brilliant new team of investigators led by Maxine Roby (Paula Newsome) enlisted the help of old friends, Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, to investigate a case centered around former colleague David Hodges (Wallace Langham).’
Comedy Central
Cable: Marina Cockenberg, Aparna Nancherla, Atsuko Okatsuka, Otter Lee, and Carl Foreman Jr. voice the new series from Comedy Central entitled Fairview. The eight-episode series comes after Comedy Central’s deal back in 2020 to beef up their animated adult content. It is being helmed by executive producer Stephen Colbert and the same team responsible for the Paramount + series Tooning Out the News along with Showtime’s Our Cartoon President. ‘The hyper-topical Fairview looks at how national politics causes wild small-town drama in the Natty Light-chugging, grocery store parking lot-fighting, the public urinating town of Fairview through the lens of its sloppy party girl turned pragmatic mayor, Kelly Sampson.’ The show will debut on February 9th at 8:30 pm after South Park. The eight-episode series comes after Comedy Central’s deal back in 2020 to beef up their animated adult content.
Netflix
Streaming: Showtime has canceled Black Monday. The news was revealed on the Twitch Show Thursdays With Rob and Paul by Paul Scheer. Showtime said this is a statement: “We can confirm that Black Monday will not be moving forward with the fourth season. Don Cheadle, Regina Hall, Andrew Rannells, Paul Scheer, and Casey Wilson led a fantastic cast, and we are grateful to Jordan Cahan, David Caspe, and all who worked on the show for three hilarious seasons.” The Wall Street-set Black Monday is a co-production of Showtime and Sony Pictures TV. Creators and showrunners Caspe and Cahan executive produce with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Cheadle.
An Asian Pacific Islander-centered vertical has just been added by Netflix. The streaming giant has just made a new channel for its social media entitled Golden. The channel, which officially launched today on both Twitter and Instagram, joins the other brands dedicated to specific audiences. Michelle Lee, Netflix VP editorial and publishing, had this to say about the news: “There’s been this awesome flywheel [effect] within entertainment and culture where it’s not just API screenwriters or authors getting something produced [but also] directors of the community hiring actors of the community. We have so many more wonderful, nuanced stories to tell. We know the audience is there, and truly the purpose of Golden is to be that platform to celebrate and champion our community.”
Vets2sets/tyler perry studios
Industry: APA has just signed Dear White People alum Antoinette Robertson. ‘Robertson, who will next be seen starring opposite Margaret Avery in director Dawn Wilkinson’s Juneteenth holiday comedy Block Party, also recently wrapped a role in director Tim Story’s upcoming comedy, The Blackening, opposite Jay Pharoah, Jermaine Fowler, and Dewayne Perkins. The film penned by Perkins and Tracy Oliver watches as seven black friends who go away for the weekend must rely on their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies to survive, when they find themselves trapped in a cabin with a vindictive killer.’
Vets2Set, a nonprofit known for helping veterans get into junior-level production roles has just teamed up with Tyler Perry Studios. The organization’s co-founder and President David Choen had this to say in a statement: “Cooperation with this powerful studio at the center of Atlanta’s burgeoning place in a motion picture, television, and commercial production is huge for Vets2Set.” Tyler Perry Studios is located at the former army base, Fort McPherson in Atlanta GA and is a major cog in the entertainment machine down in the Peach State. Many veterans live in the northern states, primarily New York, but now, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Perry there are vast possibilities for employment down South. Other employers/producers who work with the foundation are Walt Disney Television, Warner Brothers, MLB Network, NBCUniversal, RSA Films, Shutterstock Studios, and ad agency BBDO Atlanta.
