Small Screen: Rahul Kohli Joins ‘We Were Liars’ Cast, Cherie Jimenez Joins ‘Days Of Our Lives’
Broadcast: ABC's medical drama General Hospital has commented on the social media racism Tabyana Ali (Bel-Air) endured. Ali has played Trina Robinson since her first episode in 2022 and has received a recent rise in online trolling. Ali took to platform X to declare "we got to find another way to fight" about disagreements. The GeneralHospitalABC Instagram expressed support in a post.
Tichina Arnold - CBS Photo Archive
Cable: Comedy Central's animated spinoff series Everybody Still Hates Chris has cast Chris Rock (Grown Ups), Tichina Arnold (The Neighborhood), and Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) to reprise their original roles. As a spin-off of the original Fox sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, Rock will voice the main character Chris, Arnold will voice his mother Rochelle, and Crews will voice his father Julius. Additionally, they welcome new actors to the cast, such as Tim Johnson Jr. (Saturdays) as young Chris, Ozioma Akagha (Delilah) as little sister Tonya, and Terrence Little Gardenhigh (Danger Force) as golden child Drew.
Streaming: HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms confirmed Tanzyn Crawford (Swift Street) has joined the cast during the start of production in Ireland. Crawford will play Tanselle the puppeteer. The series is a spinoff of George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones series and will follow a group of Knight's journey 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street has announced its arrival to streaming services. The announcement stated that the barriers that made the process longer were the rights to music and a fair compensation negotiation for streaming use. Book author David Simon took to social media platform X to declare his excitement.
“Word is that NBC has managed to finally secure the music rights necessary to sell Homicide: Life on the Streets to a streaming platform. Andre, Richard, Yaphet, Ned, and so many others who labored on that wonderful show on both sides of the camera will soon regain a full share of their legacy. Stay tuned for more details.”
Peacock’s Days of Our Lives has cast Cherie Jimenez (Angie: Lost Girls) as Gabi Hernandez. Gabi is the sister of Rafe (Galen Gering) and has previously been played by Gabriela Rodriguez and Camila Banus. Jimenez is most known for her roles on NCIS and Pretty Little Liars.
Netflix's comedy series The Sex Lives of College Girls has cast Devin Craig (Queen Sugar) in the third season. The series explores the lives of four college roommates at Essex College, and Craig will join as a recurring character. He joins other recurring actors, such as Alyah Chanelle Scott (Reboot), Amrit Kaur (The Queen of My Dreams), Renika Williams (The Fabulous Four), and Ilia Isorelýs Paulino (Family Switch).
Prime Video's series We Were Liars has cast Rahul Kohli (The Fall of the House of Usher) as series regular Ed. He will replace Arsher Ali (The Fear Index) as the hilarious, patient, artistic art gallery owner. He joins other cast members, such as newcomer Shubham Maheshwari, Joseph Zada (Total Control), and Wendy Crewson (Gray). The thriller series, based on E. Lockhart’s novel of the same name, follows the Sinclair family on a private island in Massachusetts.
Prime Video's drama series House of David has cast Iraqi-American Alexander Uloom. While his role is not yet announced, it is known that Uloom's role will be pivotal to the series. Uloom joins other cast members such as newcomer Michael Iskander, Ayelet Zurer (Losing Alice), and Ali Suliman (The Kingdom), to name a few. This is Ulooms first English debut, as he has played and won awards for Middle Eastern series, such as Heera, Qusa, and Satir Al Gharbi. The series will follow biblical figure David as he journeys to become king of Israel after the fall of King Saul.
Prime Video's drama series House of David has also added Sam Otto (Snowpiercer) to the cast. Otto will become Eshbaal, a philanderer with cowardice. He joins other cast members such as Alexander Uloom (Satir Al Gharbi), Ayelet Zurer (Losing Alice), and newcomer Michael Iskander. House of David follows bible figure David on his path to overtake King Saul and become king of Israel.
Netflix's series Beef is keeping its eyes on Oscar Isaac (Scenes From a Marriage) to star in their second season. While nothing is confirmed, the second season is rumored to focus on two couples in conflict. Isaac would join Charles Melton (May December) and Cailee Spaeny (Civil War) in the soon-to-be-greenlit second season.
Prime Video has cast Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) in its untitled comedy series. Ahmed will play aspiring actor Shah Latif, who ends up being tied into a conspiracy thriller while advancing his career. Aside from his character, Ahmed will partner with Ben Karlin (Modern Family) in writing and producing the show.
The thriller series Lady in the Lake has released its official trailer and premiere date. The trailer follows the disappearance of a young girl in Baltimore in 1966. Maddie Schwartz (Natalie Portman) is a Jewish housewife with a hidden past and an inspiring journalist and Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram) is a mother in the middle of Black Baltimore's politics. When Maddie becomes obsessed with the death of Cleo, the true mystery begins to unfold. The series is directed by Alma Har’el and ultimately reveals the sacrifices women make to follow their dreams and seek freedom. The series will premiere on July 19th on Apple TV+.
Taylor wily - Darryl Oumi
Industry: Kenan Thompson has spoken about the success of Saturday Night Live at Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity. Specifically, Thompson says that the show's evolution and diversity is what keeps the show alive. With his sketch 'Black Jeopardy,' Thompson said the only way to make the show relatable to the targeted community is if there were enough Black cast members to participate.
“It's more than format changes, it's reach. For decades, SNL had only one, maybe two, Black cast members. Today, I'm one of five, and we also have Asian, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ members in our cast. It's just not about appearances, it allows the show to do comedy it never could before.”
For Us By Us Studios is developing a scripted series based on the 90s urban clothing brand Fubu via a partnership with Ted Field's Radar Pictures. The company was founded by J. Alexander Martin, Carlton Brown, Daymong John, and Keith Perrin. The series will tell the origin story of the hip hop fashion brand's rise to a billion-dollar empire. The press release states that the series will allow the audience to "witness the clashes, the triumphs, and the scandals that defined their path to greatness."
“Fubu has always been about empowerment and breaking boundaries. Partnering with Radar Pictures allows us to tell our story authentically and with the respect it deserves. We are eager to showcase the journey of Fubu from a small startup to a global brand, and the impact it has had on our culture,” said Martin.
Verve and Authentic Talent & Literary Management is now signed with Brian Tee (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) as his representation. Tee hails from famous Prime Video's limited series Expats and NBC's Chicago Med. Behr Abramson Levy Johnson and Shelter PR will continue to represent Tee.
On June 20th, 2024, actor and sumo wrestler Taylor Wily passed away at 56 years old in Hurricane, Utah. The news was publicized by Lina Girl Langi on KITV. Aside from playing Kamekona Tupuola for over 170 episodes of Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I., Wily was a competitive UFC fighter, MMA fighter, and sumo wrestler.
Comedy showrunner and writer Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz (One Day at a Time) has signed with Sony Pictures to extend her overall deal in a two-year contract. Muñoz-Liebowitz will create scripted series in comedy and, potentially, drama for cable and streaming services. Some of her previous projects include One Day at a Time with Sony Pictures Television, The Gordita Chronicles on Hulu and Tubi, and Max’s Love Life.
Berlanti Productions has promoted Nikki Cooper to Vice President of Television. Previously, Cooper was the Director of Development and Production and was assigned scripted TV show projects for Netflix, NBC, and Warner Bros. Television. Her previous projects include Dead Boy Detectives, Found, and Hidden Figures.
Hollywood Radio and Television Society has appointed Tim McNeal as the new president. McNeal will take over Odetta Watkins. During Watkin's service since 2021, she created the HRTS Foundation for diversity and inclusion. McNeal currently heads as Disney TV Studios' VP of creative talent development & inclusion. Since his appointment, McNeal has expressed his excitement for working with the rest of the HRTS board.
“This is a significant moment in the history of HRTS and I am honored to serve in this important role. I’m incredibly grateful to Odetta Watkins for her vision, dedication, and tenacity, which led to the creation of the HRTS Foundation,” said McNeal.
A Las Vegas federal jury has convicted the five men responsible for Jetflix, one of the largest illegal piracy streamers in the U.S. The company's subscription cost customers $9.99 per month, racking up millions of dollars in profits not given to the copyright owners. The service advertised a lineup larger than Hulu, Prime Video, Vudu, and Netflix combined. Douglas Courson, Felipe Garcia, Kristopher Dallmann, Jared Jaurequi, and Peter Huber were the minds behind the operation. The jury convicted the men with conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Dallmann was found guilty of two counts of money laundering by concealment and three counts of misdemeanor criminal copyright infringement, facing up to 48 years in prison. Courson, Garcia, Jaurequi, and Huber each face up to five years.
Roundtable
Collaborators: JB Smoove and Susie Essman from Curb Your Enthusiasm came together on TW's Collaborators YouTube series to discuss their time on the comedy series. The two talked about the unique improvisational approach to Curb Your Enthusiasm and how the two collaborated closely with Larry David. Oftentimes, they had to create dialogue on the spot without a script. With this improv, the two emphasized the freedom and trust they have to explore their characters, especially with JB Smoove, who plays Leon. JB Smoove stated that he improvises wildly, bringing his character's unique voice to life in ways that aren't scripted. Similarly, Susie Essman, who plays Susie Greene, explained how her interactions with Larry David have never required detailed discussions about their characters' backgrounds, as their characters naturally bounce off of each other. J.B. Smoove acknowledges the genius behind Larry David and his ability to create an environment where everyone on camera, and behind the camera, can thrive.
“There's no way you're going to be in a moment where you can create and perform. You're not going to have that balance anywhere else. They're going to trust your voice and trust your humor,” said J.B. Smoove.
THR Roundtable: Francesca Sloane, Issa Lopez, Peter Morgan, Steven Zaillian, Johnathan Nolan, and Jen Statsky came together on THR's TV Producer Roundtable to discuss their creative processes and the challenges they face in getting their shows greenlit. They each acknowledged the pressure to be original while working with existing franchises. They acknowledged that there are challenges in staying true to what the studios prefer while infusing something fresh for a television audience. Francesca Sloane expressed her frustrations with the creative process.
“[Writing Mr. and Mrs. Smith] is great and a lot of fun, but I turned myself into a balloon animal to be able to take that concept and take this IP that studios are comfortable putting out there and turn it into something that made sense for us as individuals and artists to write. I just hope that we can be brave again as a society to sort of welcome originality back,” said Sloane.
Additionally, the producers discussed that getting shows made often requires navigating difficult conversations. Whether it's convincing networks to approve edgy content or fighting against resistance to portraying sensitive topics, they highlighted the importance of advocating for their creative vision. They collectively agreed that most of their projects ultimately do not become a series.
“My personal math, and I've talked to many filmmakers and storytellers, is that for every project that gets made, depending on who you are and where you are in life, between 7 and 11 are not made...So many of the projects that made me who I am as a storyteller, most of them are not made,” stated Lopez.
