Small Screen: Michael Peña Joins ‘All Her Fault’, Netflix Greenlights ‘His & Hers’
Juliana Aidén Martinez - Emma McIntyre
Broadcast: Juliana Aidén Martinez (Griselda) was cast in the 26th season of NBC's Law & Order: SVU. Martinez joins as a new detective alongside Kevin Kane's (Life & Beth) character, Detective Terry Bruno. The season will be released on October 3rd on NBC and will stream on Peacock the next day. The series tells the story of detectives and their investigation of sexual crimes.
CBS has moved up the fifth season premiere of The Equalizer. For CBS's premiere week, the series will air on October 20th and continue its regular time slot November 3rd. In a normal premiere week season, CBS hosts the debuts in September, but decided to host it in October this year. Survivor’s latest season will premiere September 18th, Matlock will preview on September 22nd, and The Summit will debut September 29th.
Cable: AMC's supernatural drama series The Terror has confirmed the addition of 12 actors to the season three cast: CCH Pounder (Rustin), Hampton Fluker (Instant Family), b (We Crashed), Chinaza Uche (Silo), Aasif Mandvi (This Way Up), and Hayward Leach (Love Life). The series will follow the drama, secrets, and liberation of a man working at New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital. Lavalle, Chris Cantwell, and Karyn Kusama will executively produce parts of the third season.
USA Network has greenlit Jordan Peele's comedy-horror prank show Scare Tactics. The series is set to premiere in Fall 2024 on USA Network, and will follow "unsuspecting individuals" as the "main characters of their very own horror movies." The original run of the Scare Tactics series aired on the cable channel Syfy for a decade until its end in 2013. President of Universal Television Alternative Studio commented on having Jordan Peele be the new host for the latest run of the hidden camera show.
“What do you get when you combine Jordan Peele, hidden cameras, unsuspecting people and horror-movie scenarios? You’re about to find out! Working with Monkeypaw Productions, NBCU and USA Network to bring one of the most creatively scary and hilarious projects to life has been a phenomenal experience. We can’t wait for audiences to join in the fun of our first unscripted project with Jordan as it perfectly blends horror, humor and reality,” said Gorman.
Michael Peña - Rodin Eckenroth / Stringer
Streaming: Colman Domingo (Rustin) of Hulu's Euphoria announced that he will return for the series' third season. Domingo will reprise his role as Ali, an ex-drug addict and mentor to Rue (Zendaya). This announcement follows HBO's confirmation that production for the third season will start in January 2025.
Peacock's series All Her Fault added Michael Peña (Unstoppable) to the main cast. The series is inspired by Andrea Mara's novel of the same name. The story follows a community with secrets and the motives behind a child's kidnapping. Peña is set to play Detective McConville, and he joins fellow actors Sophia Lillis (It) and Jake Lacy (Apples Never Fall). The series is led by Sarah Snook and production will begin in the near future.
Netflix greenlit the thriller series His & Hers, produced by and starring Tessa Thompson (Creed). Based in Atlanta, the series follows a journalist named Anna (Thompson) and her investigation of a murder in her hometown, Dahlonega. It is based on Alice Feeney's novel of the same name, which was picked up by Chastain's Freckle Films, Campo, and Fifth Season.
Alejandro Edda (Narcos: Mexico) and Julio César Cedillo (Coyote) joined the cast of Prime Video's El Gato. While the details about Edda and Cedillo's roles are not yet revealed, the series has started production. The series is based on Richard Dominquez's comics, El Gato Negro, in which Frank Guerrero (Diego Boneta) returns to Mexico to fight for his late father's business. In his father's inheritance, Frank gains a piece of land with his father’s lair. Edda and Cedillo join fellow cast members Lorenza Izzo (Hacks), Adriana Barraza (Where The Tracks End), and Alfonso Dosal (Bandidos).
Paramount+'s series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has added Gina Yashere (Bob Hearts Abishola) to the first season cast. Yashere will play a recurring guest instructor at Starfleet Academy. She joins fellow cast members such as Holly Hunter (Succession), Karim Diané (One Of Us Is Lying) and Paul Giamatti (The Holderovers), to name a few. The series will follow young cadets studying to become part of the Starfleet, while tackling an enemy to the Academy and Federation. The series production will begin summer 2024.
Apple TV+'s series The Morning Show has cast William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) to the season four cast. Harper joins fellow cast members Marion Cotillard (Extrapolations), Aaron Pierre (Brother), and Jeremy Irons (Watchmen). He is cast as Ben, the Head of Sports at the series' morning news production network. The series explores the behind-the-scenes drama in working at a morning news broadcast station.
Peacock's mystery series Poker Face has added Sherry Cola (Joy Ride) to the season two cast. She will join fellow actors Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll), Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul), and Kumail Ali Nanjiani (Eternals), to name a few. The series, created by Rian Johnson, will explore Charlie Cale (Lyonne) and her crime solving skills as she takes to the road. Sherry Cola's exact role is not yet announced.
Peacock's series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist has released its official trailer and release date. The series, streaming on Peacock on September 5th, explores the robbery during Muhammad Ali's fight in 1970. The trailer stars Kevin Hart as the swindler Chicken Man throwing a party, ultimately leading up to him being accused of leading the heist. He is determined to clear the air and requests J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle) to investigate the crime. The trailer featured Dexter Darden, Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Chloe Bailey, and Samuel L. Jackson in the midst of the party, the crime, and the arrest.
HBO has released its official trailer for the third season of Industry. Looking at season three, Yasmin, Eric, and Robert take on the IPO of Lumi, a green tech energy company and the boss Sir Henry Muck. The trailer highlights the return of characters Harper (Myha’la Herrold), Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung), but also welcomes Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones), along with many others. The series' premiere date is August 11th and will stream on HBO Max.
bbc
Industry: Disney+, Max, and Hulu released their bundle pricing plan. It is $16.99 per month with ads and $29.99 without. With this bundle, subscribers can save up to 38% compared to each streamer’s individual plan prices. While these streamers have offered bundles before, there have been no major players teaming up in the past. Accompanying this new plan is a national marketing campaign on broadcast, digital, owned channels, and social media.
The BBC plans to lay off 500 more staff members by March 2026 as it tackles a financial deficit that has nearly doubled to £500 million. The employee count has decreased by 10% over the past five years, and the number is still falling. Their license fee income fell by 2% with 500,000 fewer payers, now totaling 23.8 million. Content spending dropped by over £100 million even after the BBC increased their borrowing fee to $750 million. BBC Studios faced profit declines but remains committed to its goal of five year returns. The BBC provided an explanation for their plans to make cuts.
“Over the course of the next two years, we will look to further move the money we have into the priority areas that provide real value for audiences,” said the BBC. “This means, in public service, we will close and transfer roles in some areas, and create roles in growth areas.”
Jason Blum's Blumhouse Television is buying back its previously sold 45% stake from ITV. When the stake sold in 2017, Blumhouse made a deal with ITV Studios to crate Blumhouse Television. In reclaiming the stake, Blumhouse aims to rejoin Blumhouse and will continue its relationship with ITV, having extended their unscripted overall deal with ITV America for three more years. On the company's list of projects, they are developing several scripted series, including The Bondsman with Kevin Bacon (City on a Hill) and The Sticky with Margo Martindale (Cocaine Bear).
Kim Fields is now represented by Independent Artist Group (IAG). Field's most well-known roles can be seen in Good Times, Living Single, and the Netflix series The Upshaws. Fields has directing accreditation, including the aforementioned series Living Single and The Upshaws, and has worked on several Tyler Perry shows, such as Meet the Browns and House of Payne. Art Rutter and JCPR will continue to be her representation and producing partner.
In a recent interview, Blair Underwood reflected on his initial decision to decline a role on HBO’s Sex and the City. The first offer he received was to play a character that focused on Samantha's experience in dating a Black man and their anatomy, which Underwood turned down. Specifically, he stated, “Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.” A year later, the show's team approached him again with a new role, assuring him it wouldn’t center around race. He accepted the role of Dr. Robert Leeds, a romantic interest for Miranda, appearing in five episodes during the sixth and final season. Underwood emphasized his consistent effort to avoid being typecast based on race throughout acting.
“And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as ‘the Black guy,’” said Underwood.
