Small Screen: Jackie Gagne Rises, Lucy Liu Leads, And Viola Davis Makes Market Gains
Broadcast: The BBC has released the first trailer for A Suitable Boy, its new limited series and coming-of-age story that takes place on the cusp of political transition. The story is set in North India in 1951, as the country prepares for its first democratic election, and follows university student Lata (Tanya Maniktala), with a cast that also features Ishaan Khatter and Tabu. Mira Nair directs, with an executive production team from Lookout Point that includes Nair, Andrew Davies, Vikram Seth, Faith Penhale, Laura Lankester and Will Johnston, as well as Lydia Dean Pilcher, Aradhana Seth and Mona Qureshi for the BBC. Netflix has already acquired global streaming rights (excluding the United States, Canada and China) for A Suitable Boy, which premiers July 26 on BBC One.
ABC has announced the casting of Lucy Liu as its lead in a new multi-camera workplace comedy, one of five pilots that the network has previously announced will start filming as soon as production is safely able to resume. Liu is set to play Devin, a focused and highly successful career woman who, after adopting a baby, struggles to carry her success over from the professional world into the parenting world. Liu will also be producing the currently untitled comedy, which will be written and executive produced by Shana Goldberg-Meehan (Friends) and directed by Christine Gernon (Speechless). The upcoming show is co-produced with CBS Television Studios and 20th Century Fox TV.
Stars of the British soap opera Hollyoaks recently joined the Don’t Filter Feelings podcast to contribute to the global conversation on racism following the death of George Floyd. The actors discussed in length their own experiences with racism, including micro-aggressions and systemic racism in the education system, before alluding to the fact that the television industry is not immune to racist incidents. Talia Grant, speaking of the television industry and of life in general, brought up the issue that Black people are often treated as disposable, and that it’s easy for them to be capitalized off of for the sake of others claiming to have achieved diversity. With specific regard to Hollyoaks, although Grant stated that she has experienced micro-aggressions on set, she did not divulge into anything specific. Richard Blackwood, acting as both podcast host and guest, added that there is a leap of faith that is needed for actors- and employees in general in any company- to call out employers due to the difficult balance between protecting their jobs and calling out injustices within the workplace, supporting Grant not going into further detail about her experiences behind the scenes; to Blackwood’s point, Trevor A. Toussaint brought up the fact that he has lost jobs for speaking out. Toussaint also noted a lack of people of color in positions of authority at Lime Pictures, which produces Hollyoaks. Hollyoaks released a response specifically to Toussaint’s comment on the lack of representation at Lime, stating a need to increase representation behind the camera, especially with regard to Black writers.
CBS will be working with the NAACP in a multi-year partnership aimed at developing and producing content from new and diverse voices, particularly with the goal of increasing Black visibility on television. With this partnership, projects will be developed for CBS, with the option to also sell shows to outside entities. News of this partnership comes after CBS recently announced a push for growing diversity within the network, stating that the network will now allocate 25% of its script development budget for projects created or co-created by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), starting with the 2021-22 development cycle. In addition, CBS’ commitment will extend to its writer’s rooms, as they will require at least 40% BIPOC representation for the 2021-22 season, which will increase to a minimum of at least 50% for 2022-23.
Killing Eve - BBC America
Cable: WarnerMedia has taken the next steps in the consolidation of its brand, multicultural, international and design and production teams by promoting Jackie Gagne and Richard Jennings to Senior Vice President positions. Gagne will act as the Senior Vice President of Multicultural Marketing with WarnerMedia Entertainment, having previously acted as Vice President of HBO’s Multicultural Marketing team. She has spent the last six years with HBO, and was an integral part in creating the network’s multicultural marketing strategy. Like Gagne, Jennings is also coming from a senior position for HBO, having previously acted as the Vice President of Design and Production, and will now act as the Senior Vice President for WarnerMedia Entertainment’s Design and Production. Jennings has been with HBO since 2013, having previously come to the network from Warner Music Group.
Sandra Oh recently discussed her 25-year career on the Awards Chatter podcast, including her starring role on Killing Eve. One of the highlights of this podcast comes when Oh discusses one of her proudest acting moments having come out of the show’s first season, when Villanelle (Jodie Comer) has Eve (Oh) up against the refrigerator and is trying to unlock Eve’s phone. In a moment of absolute fear, the terrified Eve gives her the code: 1234. It was in this moment, Oh says, that she knew she could deliver on the exact tone that writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge was looking for- the ability to deliver a comedic line in an otherwise intense scene. Doubling as a co-executive producer for Killing Eve, Oh is at her best, as the position allows her to have a creative-collaborative relationship with a writer, something she has always wanted.
Ramy - hulu
Streaming: Ramy Youssef’s hit comedy series Ramy, which just released its third season this past May, has been renewed for a third season on Hulu. Ramy has received high praises, including a Peabody Award for the series and a Golden Globe for Youssef, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself. The show is produced by A24, and is executive produced by Youssef (who, along with his roles as an executive producer and actor, also writes for the series), Ari Katcher, Ryan Welch, Ravi Nandan, Jerrod Carmichael and Chris Storer.
Cinedigm and Quincy Newell’s TwentyOne14 Media are set to launch a new network that will bring urban multicultural entertainment and lifestyle content to streaming platforms early next year. The upcoming channel seeks to cater to a multicultural adult audience by featuring content created by African American, Latinx, Indigenous and Asian American artists, promising authenticity, diversity and inclusiveness in its programming. The partnership will combine Cinedigm’s capacity for reaching a large audience- with the company already distributing its channels to over 670 million devices globally- with TwentyOne14 Media’s mission to amplify the range of diverse programming told by filmmakers of color.
Eddie Huang’s new animated series Chinos has found a home with HBO Max, following the streaming service’s successful bid and pilot commitment. The upcoming series takes place in Los Angeles and, through the city’s different sub-cultures, delves into the Asian American experience, particularly in relation to the “model minority” stereotype. With Chinos, Huang hopes to “shatter the model minority myth and…usher in a generation of Asian American storytellers that do not feel beholden to the expectations of others.” Huang, Raf Martinez, tattoo artist Dr. Woo and Bernard Chang will act as executive producers; Chang is also slated to direct the series.
JuVee Productions, the production company of Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, has expanded its preexisting film deal with Amazon Studios to now include television as well. Andrew T. Wang, Head of JuVee’s Television Department, said in a statement that the production company is “thrilled to bring JuVee into Amazon’s family of storytellers,” as they continue toward their “mission to provide a platform for compelling, original stories told by people from historically marginalized populations,” noting the impact that Amazon’s reach will have in amplifying these stories. Along with Davis, Tennon and Wang, JuVee’s core team includes Rob Williams, Josh Nelson, Karen Frost and Liliana Granados. Amazon and JuVee already have three films and two television series in development, including an adapted series based on the film Fast Color.
