Small Screen: ‘Skeem Saam's’ Nokuzola Mlengana Died; Showtime's New Show ‘Wakefield;’ Shonda Rhimes Has Inked $150 Million Deal With Netflix
Nokuzola Mlengana - Skeem Saam/SABC1
Broadcast: Skeem Saam’s Sis ‘Ouma actor Nokuzola Mlengana has unfortunately passed away at the age of 58. Her cause of death has not been announced, however the show released a statement on Twitter Monday afternoon confirming Mlengana’s death. Other credits by the late actor are the drama series iThemba and Lockdown on DStv 161 Mzansi Magic. In Skeem Saam, Sis ‘Ouma was “was initially introduced as a security guard working at Gauteng University when Tbose and Kwaito went to study further, but her character that was initially not that well-liked was softened as she was uprooted and moved to Turfloop University.”
Rudi Dharmalingam - David M. Benett
Cable: Rudi Dharmalingam from The Split is set to star in Showtime's new Australian series premiering on October 18th. The eight-episode psychological drama series entitled Wakefield originally made its network debut on the Australian public broadcaster ABC earlier this year. Inspired by the personal experiences of creator Kristen Dunphy, the series puts a comedic lens on the prospect of the sanest person in the psych ward starting their descent into insanity. Dharmalingam is portraying a psych nurse, Nik Katira, at Wakefield. Katira is phenomenal at his job with a talent for calming the distressed and connecting with those thought to be too far gone. But as his sanity starts to leave him the question he must answer is why? Dunphy and Sam Meikle are showrunners, as well as executive producers alongside Chloe Rickard, Jason Burrows, and Sally Riley. Jungle Entertainment and BBC are producing.
The sophomore effort of The Gangs of London has begun filming according to the co-production team of Sky and AMC. Reprising their roles are Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù, Michelle Fairley, Brian Vernel, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Lucian Msamati, Paapa Essiedu, Valene Kane, Orli Shuka, Narges Rashidi, and Asif Raza. The newcomers to the series are Waleed Zuaiter from Baghdad Central, French rapper Jasmine Armando in her debut television role, Salem Kali from Un Prophete, Aymen Hamdouchi from Criminal: UK, and Fady El-Sayed from A Private War. The second season is set to start a year removed from the first. A quick recap, the Wallace Dumani empire has collapsed allowing chaos to reign, as the city seeks to re-establish its’ borders a new gold rush indicates the gangland anarchy is on the rise. Created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery, Gangs of London will air on Sky Atlantic and Now in the UK and Ireland.
Lily Singh - Rich Fury
Streaming: Shonda Rhimes has inked a new pact with Netflix after her major success with Bridgerton. The Grey’s Anatomy creator signed a $100 million dollar deal with the streaming giant four years ago and has now been given a raise to $150 million on July 8th. Netflix is attempting to create a new revenue stream from the New Regency franchise and whatever other smash hits Rhimes can produce. She has signed on for an additional five years with multiple bonuses built in that could push its value to even higher. Her new deal also includes films, games, Virtual Reality, and merchandising live events and experiences. There's a rumor that Netflix seeks to build off of their already successful series creating interactive experiences and live events in New York and LA. including an upcoming London set Bridgerton ball launching in November, a video game, and a convention for the series to keep the show relevant between seasons.
Sony Pictures Television has closed a licensing deal with Prime Video and IMDb TV for a suite of classic television series from esteemed producer Norman Lear. Some shows included in the deal are Good Times, One Day at a Time, 227, Diff’rent Strokes, The Jeffersons, Sanford, and Sanford & Son. “Some of the series will be available on SVOD platform Prime Video, the others on ad-supported IMDb TV. There will be no overlap as the two platforms do not share programming, with Amazon making the decision about which shows goes where.” Two shows launched on Prime video on the 15th: 227 and Diff’rent Strokes. The Jeffersons, Sanford & Son, and Sanford will launch on the SVOD service later in 2021.
The second season of Dollface, Hulu’s comedy series, casts Lilly Singh (Bad Moms) as a queer bar owner named Liv. Singh’s Liv will explore a relationship and a business venture with Shay Mitchell’s Stella. This marks the actor's first booked role since the ending of her late-night show A Little Late With Lilly Singh. Created by Jordan Weiss, Dollface “centers on a young woman named Jules (“2 Broke Girls” and “WandaVision” star Kat Dennings), who, in the aftermath of a breakup, tries to rekindle long-forgotten female friendships amid a battle with her own imagination. Brenda Song, Esther Povitsky, and Beth Grant also star in the series, which Hulu renewed for a second season in January 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic subsequently caused a protracted delay in production. The second season of the ABC Signature show is currently in production in Los Angeles, eyeing a 2022 premiere.”
