Small Screen: MGM+ International Debuts, 'Lopez vs Lopez' Switches Timeslots
Ryan Michelle Bathé - Steve Granitz
Broadcast: Ryan Michelle Bathé will star in CBS’ new comedy adaptation of the JumpStart comic strip. Bathé will play Marcy, a nurse who is married to Joe (Terry Crews). Per the logline, the adaptation “follows Joe (Crews), a cop, his wife Marcy (Bathé), a nurse, and Joe’s partner Crunchy. Joe and Marcy are young, hip, urban parents with old school values who are willing to sacrifice for their kids and have some laughs while doing it!” Bathé’s character Marcy is described as “hard-working” and “wise beyond her years.” Bathé most recently starred in NBC’s The End Game and Sylvie’s Love.
The Resident has been canceled at Fox after six seasons on the air. After a disappointing season for ratings, the series will not be moving forward with a seventh season. The series’ 107th and last episode, All Hands on Deck, aired on January 6th, wrapping up the show with a happy ending for Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry) when he finally reveals his feelings for Billie Sutton (Jessica Lucas). Meanwhile, Ian Sullivan (Andrew McCarthy) saves Sammie, Bell’s (Bruce Greenwood) granddaughter and is thus able to keep his job at Chastain Memorial despite revealing his struggle with addiction. Sammie helps unite Leela Devi (Anuja Joshi) and Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal) to become engaged. Over its six-season run, The Resident also featured Emily VanCamp, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Morris Chestnut, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Jane Leeves, Melina Kanakaredes, Jocko Sims, Jenna Dewan, Corbin Bernsen, David Alan Grier, Rob Yang and Conrad Ricamora. Fox will replace the show with another medical drama series entitled Doc, a US adaptation of Italian series Doc-Nelle tue mani, premiering in the 2023-24 season.
NBC is moving Lopez vs. Lopez to a new timeslot as it approaches the end of its first season. The series will air Tuesday nights at 8:30 PM for its last three episodes, a slot it took from American Auto after its wrap. The new slot is an enviable one, giving the series the Night Court lead-in and strengthening its chances for potential renewal as Chairman of Entertainment Content at NBCU Susan Rovner makes plans for the 2023/4 season. Lopez vs. Lopez, starring comedian George Lopez and his daughter Mayan, follows a working-class family and their comedic dysfunction. When “old-school” George moves in with Gen Z, Mayan, they must patch up their tumultuous relationship for the harmony of the home. Per the log line, “ It’s old vs. new, father vs. daughter, Lopez vs Lopez.” The new schedule for Lopez vs. Lopez will begin April 25.
CBC/Radio-Canada has acquired local rights to the live-action tween drama Spellbound from Federation Kids & Family and ZDF Studios. The 26-part series wrapped filming ahead of the 2023 debut, and will be launched on English-language streamer CBC Gem later this year. The series follows teenaged Cece Parker Jones (Hailey Romain) as she moves from a small U.S. town to Paris to study at the Paris Opera Ballet School. When Jones finds a book of family spells in her Aunt’s apothecary, she accidentally summons her enemy. The Spellbound cast includes Sam Darius, Raven Dauda (The Umbrella Academy, Star Trek: Discovery), Malou Beauvoir (Perception), and Gomolémo Tsagaé. Jill Girling and Lori Mather of Find me in Paris, along with Renaud Mathieu and Robert Burke, worked on this season of the show. Of the new series, Simon Dupuis, Senior Director of Acquisitions & Speciality Channels for Radio-Canada, said,
“We believe that kids will be attracted to Spellbound as much as [we] were reading the pitch. It has all the ingredients to become another success.”
Monica Levy, Co-Chief of Distribution at Federation Kids & Family, added,
“We are delighted to have closed this deal with CBC/Radio-Canada as we ramp up international sales over the coming months. In respect of this specific deal, it’s also an added bonus that our lead actress Hailey Romain is Canadian herself.”
Showtime’s limited series King Shaka has been axed from the network as it prepares to merge with Paramount+. King Shaka, which was ordered to series in 2021, starred Thapelo Mokoenaas, Warren Masemola, Aïssa Maïga, Thando DIomo, Charles Babalola, Charmaine Bingwa, and Nkeki Obi-Melekwe. The series follows the eponymous Zulu king (Babaloa) as he rises to power and unites tribes across the African continent. Showtime and CBS Studios reportedly have plans to shop the series to other outlets.
Chang Can Dunk’s Dexter Darden has been added to the cast of NBC’s comedy pilot Non-Evil Twin. Darden currently appears in Disney+’s film Chang Can Dunk, and has appeared on The Binge, Saved by the Bell, Maze Runner, Burden, and Cadillac Records. On his newest production, Darden will play Marcus, a tech developer for exercise equipment who is known as a “contemporary nerd.” Marcus has a good heart, but struggles with confrontation and its juxtaposition with his moral compass. Non-Evil Twin stars Amber Ruffin as twin sisters Angie and Amber. Angie, the unforgiving CEO of AngieCorp, is drowning in riches and mean at heart. Angie’s sister Amber – who sees only the good in her cutthroat sister – is forced to step up to lead AngieCorp, a tall order considering she knows next to nothing about business. Ruffin will also write and produce under Straight to Cards.
Showtime has announced their new series Ghosts of Beirut, a spy drama based on the true story of the manhunt for Imad Mughniyeh, a Lebanese terrorist who spent more than 20 years on the run from the CIA and Mossad. The series will take the form of a docudrama, following 21-year-old Mughniyeh, known as “the Ghost,” from American, Israeli, and Lebanese perspectives. From his roots in the Shiite slums of Beirut to his organizing of suicide bombing missions, the drama will span decades of Mughniyeh’s life with the backdrop of turmoil in Beirut. The series comes from Fauda creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz, and boasts a star-studded international cast including Dina Shihabi (Jack Ryan), Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding), Garret Dillahunt (12 Years a Slave), Iddo Goldberg (Snowpiercer), Hisham Suleiman (Fauda), Amir Khoury (Image of Victory) and Rafi Gavron (A Star is Born). Ghosts will be directed by Emmy-award-winning director Greg Barker, as well as All Quiet on the Western Front’s Daniel Dreifuss. Ghosts of Beirut will debut on streaming and on demand May 19th for Showtime subscribers, and will air on the network on May 21.
The Masked Singer’s Ken Jeong will lead a new sitcom based on Dan Harris’ book and podcast 10% Happier. The comedy will follow a mid-level executive at a juice company, played by Jeong, after a panic attack at work compels him to re-evaluate his life. Michael Lisbe and Nate Reger of Acapulco and The Cool Kids will write and executive produce alongside Jeong, 10% Happier author Harris, and Brett Carducci, as well as Eric and Kim Tannenbaum and Jason Wang. Should 10% Happier make it to series, it would be Jeong’s first scripted role at Fox, where he has a long history of unscripted roles. Starting out in the medical field, Jeong moved into acting with his first comedy Dr. Ken on ABC in 2015, and has since made a name for himself with roles on shows like Community, The Hangover, and The Masked Singer.
MGM+ - Amazon
Streaming: Amazon has announced that the international arm of its MGM streaming service will relaunch as MGM+ International in European markets. The streamer underwent the same change in US markets in January when it was renamed from Epix to MGM+. MGM+ International has also finished a content deal with Lionsgate, under which the streamer will carry series from Lionsgate and Starz in Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands at no additional cost to their €3.99 ($4.36) per month subscription. Series like Black Sails, Black Mafia Family, Mad Men, and Nashville will soon be made available, and Lionsgate+ users who subscribed through Prime Video Channels will gain access to MGM+ International titles. VP of Prime Video Studios Chris Brearton said of the relaunch,
“Following the relaunch of MGM+ in the U.S. at the start of the year, we have seen significant growth in subscribers. Now MGM’s international streaming services will follow suit, and relaunch as MGM+ International in key countries. . . . This newly acquired suite of Lionsgate programming will be added to the already rich catalog of MGM movies available on the service in Europe at no extra cost to the current subscription price[.]”
Disney’s Onyx Collective has added to the cast of Hulu comedy pilot 1266 starring Gabourey Sidibe. Karim Diané (One Of Us Is Lying), Kristin Dodson (Flatbush Misdemeanors) and Kassandra Lee Diaz (You Married Dat) will star opposite Sidibe in the pilot. 1266 centers around Gabby Brixton (Sidibe), who lives with her mother as she makes weak attempts to make it as a singer, model, and “overnight millionaire.” When Brixton is fired from her job, she discovers the phone sex industry, where she meets her chosen family and learns about the power of her own voice. Diané plays Posh, a NYIF student whose sexual orientation is always up for debate among his friends. Posh becomes Gabby’s best friend, known for his loving but blunt honesty. Dodson plays Jimmy, the youngest phone sex worker who is known for her aimlessness and immaturity. Diaz plays Fi, a queer Afro-Latina in her twenties who loves to shower her friends with gifts as much as she loves to be shrouded in mystery herself. Anna Maria Horsford (The Wayans Bros.), Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age) and Judy Reyes (Claws) will have recurring roles if the pilot is picked up to series. The series is inspired by the real-life story of Sidibe, who will executive produce alongside Thembi Banks, Steven Canals, and Julie Bean.
Amazon Studios is developing Koretown, a drama set in Los Angeles’ bustling Koretown from Gene Hont (Magnum PI) and Alan Yang (Loot). The drama follows two Korean-American brothers, one a street-wise nightclub owner and one recovering from drug addiction, who must overcome their differences to run a drug ring to pay for care for their dying mother. Hong is currently a writer and executive producer on Magnum PI, and has also worked on Lethal Weapon, Bones, and Community. He is currently developing a baseball drama with Donna Gigliotti. Yang appears in the Apple TV+ series Loot, and has written for Parks and Recreation as well as Master of None, for which he co-won an Emmy with writer and comedian Aziz Ansari. He also executive produced Little America on Apple TV+. Hong and Yang will also executive produce Koreatown. No release date has been announced.
Streaming service ITV has renewed Unforgotten for a sixth season with Sanjeev Bhaskar starring as DI Sunil “Sunny” Khan opposite Sinéad Keenan as DCI Jess James. Season 6 will run for six episodes, and will be written by Chris Lang of BAFTA-nominated drama The Thief, His Wife, and the Canoe. The fifth and current season of Unforgotten has been ITV’s golden child, bringing in large viewership numbers and becoming ITVX’s top title of the year. No plot details for the upcoming season have been revealed, but ITV said in a press release,
“[Season six will] follow DI Khan and DCI James as they investigate cold cases and unsolved crimes from the past, unraveling secrets and unearthing buried truths along the way.”
Hulu has ordered Dan Fogelman’s next drama, starring Sterling K. Brown, to series. The script has been kept under wraps, and neither a logline nor a release date have been announced. Brown, a three-time Emmy winner who has previously worked with Fogelman on This Is Us, will also executive produce. Brown is currently set to make an appearance on feature film Biosphere, and recently completed production on Washington Black, Hulu’s adaptation of Esi Edugyan’s novel. More details have yet to be announced for the secretive project.
An It prequel series under the working title Welcome to Derry has announced more of its cast. Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, and Chris Chalk will star in the HBO Max Original series. The show is set in Stephen King’s It universe, expanding on Andy Muschietti’s vision for the 2017 feature film. Paige won a Spirit Award for her work on Zola, starred in the two-time Oscar-winning Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and will next appear in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley. Adepo was nominated for an Emmy for his role in Watchmen, and recently appeared in Oscar-nominated Babylon as well as The Three-Body Problem. Chalk has appeared on Perry Mason, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, and Feud: Capote’s Women.
Online streaming service Cunchyroll, along with Sony and Aniplex, will kick off simulcast streams of anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc on April 9. In North America, South America, and Europe, Crunchyroll will release new episodes of the series on a weekly basis. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc comprises 23 volumes and has reached sales topping 150 million. The series follows Tanjiro Kamando, a young boy whose family is killed by a demon. After the brutal slaying, Commando joints the Demon Slayer Corps in hopes to turn his younger sister Nezuko from a demon back to her human form. The first arc, Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc, premiered in April 2019, followed by the feature film Demon Slayer: Mugen Train in 2020 and the TV series Mugen Train Arc and Entertainment District Arc from 2021 to 2022. The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village film began global screenings in February, grossing more than $30 million in Japan and $10 million in North America. The voice cast of Kimetsu no Yaiba includes Hanae Natsuki (Kamado Tanjiro), Kito Akari (Kamado Nezuko), Shimono Hiro (Agatsuma Zenitsu), Matsuoka Yoshitsugu (Hashibira Inosuke), Kawanishi Kengo (Tokito Muichiro), Hanazawa Kana (Kanroji Mitsuri), Okamoto Nobuhiko (Genya), Furukawa Toshio (Hantengu) and Toriumi Kousuke (Gyokko).
After two seasons, Netflix has canceled Sex/Life. The second season of the show, starring Sarah Shahi (The Rookie, The L Word), debuted on March 2. Sex/Life was inspired by B.B. Easton’s book 44 Chapters About 4 Men, and starred Shahi as overwhelmed mother Billie Connelly who begins journaling about her past life in New York City. Of the second season of the show, Shahi said in an interview,
“I’m not going to put it down, but I definitely did not have the support that I did the first season from the people involved in [Sex/Life]. It became a much different thing for me, and I’m not afraid to say that. I struggled with the material. I just felt the thing that it had the first season — I mean, I’m never gonna work for Netflix again now after saying all this, but I can’t lie. And it was definitely a challenge.”