Small Screen: WGGB Action in Solidarity with WGA, LA TV Week Honors 40 Under 40
Adrian Groulx, Bradley Constant, Uli Latukefu and Dwayne Johnsoin - Young Rock / NBC
Broadcast: NBC has canceled Grand Crew after two seasons. The cancellation was announced along with that of Young Rock, which ran three seasons, with no determination yet made for the fate of American Auto. Grand Crew starred Echo Kellum, Justin Cunningham, Grasie Mercedes, Carl Tart, Aaron Jennings and Nicole Byer, and was written by Phil Augusta Jackson who produced along with Dan Goor. The series followed a group of Black friends who discuss “life and love” at a wine bar. The second season’s metrics failed to measure up to what the first season achieved as the top digital comedy launch on Peacock. The second season ended its ten episode run in April.
ABC has declined to renew Anthony Anderson’s Public Defenders. The series, which also starred Anderson as its protagonist, followed four new public defenders, drowning in student debt, as they find their footing in their careers. The network also passed on Ellie Kemper’s Keeping It Together, which is a remake of Motherland, as well as Sarah Shahi’s Judgement and The Hurt Unit. The network will shop The Hurt Unit to other platforms and networks, and 20th Television will shop Public Defenders and Judgement. ABC has yet to announce decisions on Home Economics, The Rookie: Feds, or The Good Lawyer, a spinoff of The Good Doctor. In May, ABC ordered Drew Goddard’s pilot High Potential, starring Kaitlin Olson, to series. For its part, NBC has ordered Justin Spitzer’s St. Denis Medical to series.
NBC has canceled Young Rock after three seasons. The third season had seen a drop in ratings compared to the previous two, and ended its 13-episode run in February. Young Rock starred Dwayne Johnson as himself, following the actor and wrestler through different phases of his life, from his upbringing to wrestling and football careers to his acting tenure. It also starred Joseph Lee Anderson, Stacey Leilua, Ana Tuisila, Adrian Groulx, Bradley Constant, Uli Latukefu, Fasitua Amosa, John Tui and Matthew Willig.
Phylicia Rashad - John Nacion
Cable: BET has announced three new cast members to join Diarra From Detroit. Phylicia Rashad, Shannon Wallace, and Jon Chaffin will join previously announced cast members Morris Chestnut, DomiNque Perry, Claudia Logan, and Bryan Terrell Clark. Diarra From Detroit is created by and stars Diarra Brickland, a teacher in the process of divorcing her husband. When Brickland is ghosted by a Tinder date, her hunt for the missing man finds her embroiled in a decades-long mystery. Rashad, known for her role as Beth on This Is Us, will play Vonda. Wallace, of City on a Hill, Blue Bloods, and Dynasty, will play Chris. Chaffin, most recently seen on HBO’s Perry Mason and also starring in Quantum Leap and BMF, will play Danger. Diarra From Detroit is created by and executive produced by Kilpatrick alongside Kenya Barris and Miles Orion Fledsott.
Showtime has sealed the fate of its last remaining scripted series, canceling I Love That For You after its first season. The show starred Vanessa Bayer, who was a co-creator along with Jeremy Beiler. Bayer also executive produced with Jessi Klein and Michael Showalter. Star Matt Rogers said in December that a second season was already written, but internal efforts to get the series renewed were unsuccessful. I Love That For You was Showtime’s only comedy series until February when the network picked up Uncoupled, but the latter was also canceled. No Showtime series have been renewed since December, when Yellowjackets got the go-ahead for a third season, likely owing to the exit of CEO David Nevins and the transfer to Chris McCarthy. During the transition, the network canceled Let the Right One In, American Gigolo, and The L Word: Generation Q. Showtime’s Three Women has moved to Starz, and Ripley to Netflix. As the network shifts to Paramount+ with Showtime on linear and rolls into Paramount+ on digital, it has shifted its programming strategy into three areas, as outlined by McCarthy: complex characters and subversive antiheroes (Dexter, Your Honor, and Yellowjackets,) high-stakes powerful worlds (Billions and Homeland,) and culturally diverse takes (The Chi and upcoming Fellow Travelers.) The network is also focusing on franchise building with commissions for spinoffs of Billions, Dexter, and The L Word. I Love That for You saw Bayer play a character inspired by her own life who overcomes childhood leukemia and becomes a home-shopping channel host. Molly Shannon, Paul James, Ayden Mayeri, Punam Patel, and Jennifer Lewis also starred.
Streaming: Disney+ has announced a premiere date of August 23 for its live-action series Star Wars: Ashoka. The series stars Rosario Dawson as Ashoka Tano, a reprisal of the role from Season 2 of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Star Wars: Ashoka follows Ashoka Tano, a former Jedi Knight, through her investigation into a threat to the galaxy. Ashoka is one of a handful of live-action Star Wars shows coming down the pike, with The Acolyte starring Amandla Stenberg and Skeleton Crew starring Jude Law set to premiere at an unannounced date. The Mandalorian also aired its third season in March, and Andor is preparing for a second season.
Netflix sign-ups are experiencing a surge amid the streamer’s enforcement of anti-password-sharing measures. Analytics firm Antenna recently released a first look at the impact of the new policies, which were announced May 23. Following the announcement, Antenna measured the four biggest days in user acquisition since it began measuring Netflix four and a half years ago. On both May 26th and 27th, the streamer reportedly garnered almost 100,000 daily signups. During that period, Antenna reported that daily sign-ups reached 73,000, a more than 100% uptick from the previous two-month average. This exceeded even lockdown-era spikes in March and April of 2020. Cancellations also increased, but were outpaced by the new signups, with the sign-up-to-cancel ratio surging 25.6% compared to the previous two months. Antenna’s purchase data does not cover users who signed up through MVPD+Telco distribution. Under Netflix’s new rules, subscribers to the streamer’s two highest tiers can add additional users for %7.99 per month on an ad-free plan. The $15.49/month Standard tier allows subscribers to add one additional user, and the $19.99/month Premium tier comes with two free user add-ons. The $6.99/month ad-supported plan does not allow additional users to be added.
Devery Jacobs will make her TV directing debut on Season 3 of Reservation Dogs. Jacobs, who is also a writer on the series, directed Episode 7 of Season 3, set to premiere August 2. Jacobs has previously directed several short films. She joked at The Hollywood Reporter’s Comedy Actress Roundtable that she’s “one of the annoying actors who comes in with notes,” saying she made it clear from the start that she wanted to be more involved in the series.
“Season one, I’d made it apparent to the network that I wanted to shadow, and they were like, ‘That’s great, we’d love to have you, but you’re in every episode.’ Basically, ‘Do the job that we paid you to do.’ And I was like, ‘That’s fine.’ But by season two, I’d reached out to the showrunner [Sterlin Harjo] and pleaded my case to be a part of the [writers] room. Sterlin was just like, ‘You’re part of it, come on in.’ I was only supposed to be there for five weeks, and they just kept extending it until I was part of the whole [season]. So, it’s just been a progression. I shadowed last season, and I wrapped my first episode of TV two days ago.”
Jacobs also stars in Marvel’s Echo, premiering on Disney+ in November, and stars in and produces Backspot, a feature film about competitive cheerleading.
Peacock’s limited series Apples Never Fall has cast six recurring guest stars. The series, an adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s novel, will feature Paula Andrea Placido, Pooja Shah, and Quentin Plair. Also joining the show alongside previously announced cast Annette Bening, Sam Neill, Jake Lacy, Alison Brie, Essie Randles, Conor Merrigan-Turner, Georgia Flood, Janine Serralles, and Dylan Thuraisingham are Katrina Lenk, Timm Sharp, and Nate Mann. The show’s logline reads, “[Apples Never Fall] centers on the Delaneys, who from the outside appear to be an enviably contented family. Former tennis coaches Joy (Bening) and Stan (Neill) are parents to four adult children. After decades of marriage, they have finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. But after Joy disappears, her children are forced to re-examine their parents’ marriage and their family history with fresh eyes.” Placido, known for her roles on Hacks and Shameless, will play Gina Solis. Shah, of The L Word: Generation Q and Westworld, will play Indira Chaundry. Tiny Beautiful Things’ and Welcome to Chippendales’ Plair will play Tyler Cruz. Moriarty’s novel was adapted for the screen by Melanie Marnich, who also executive produces, alongside Heyman, Mariarty, and Chris Sweeney. Apples Never Fall is currently in production in Australia.
From Top let to right: Kimberly Caraig, Falon Fatemi, Stephen Hodge, Fernando Hurtado, Helen Lum, Trixie Pacis, Joy Phillips, Shaheen Sayani, and Ahmadou Seck
Industry: L.A. TV Week has announced the honorees for their 40 Under 40 list. The finale of L.A. TV Week will take place on June 21, where Kimberly Caraig, Falon Fatemi, Stephen Hodge, Fernando Hurtado, Helen Lum, Trixie Pacis, Joy Phillips, Shaheen Sayani, Ahmadou Seck, and Alex Yee, among others, will be honored for their accomplishments.
Kimberly Caraig, Account Executive at Fox Corp., began her career with the company in the Ad Sales division in 2017. Caraig was one of Fox’s first integrated linear and digital account executives and focused on clients and agencies in Los Angeles. Before Fox, Caraig was an account executive at CBS Sports Network and CBS Interactive, and previously served in sales planning roles at Discovery Communications and FX, as well as ad sales roles at Comedy Central and Spike TV. She mentors other account managers and associates in Fox’s Ad Sales division, and supports Children’s Hospital L.A.’s Project Sunshine, Walk on Water’s Surf Therapy for children with special needs, and GRLSWIRL Skateboarding mentorship for underserved youth.
Falon Fatemi is the CEO and Co-Founder of the interactive entertainment app Fireside, which she co-founded with Mark Cuban in 2021. She was also the CEO and founder of Node, Inc., an AI platform that sold to SugarCRM in 2020. It has been reported that Fatemi became the youngest employee at Google when she was hired at age 19 in 2005. Fireside, “the first interactive web free streaming platform that . . . puts the power of a production studio in the palm of your hand,” aims to gain access to smart TVs, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku by acquiring Stremium.
Stephen Hodge is the CEO of OTTera, a “fully managed suite of OTT applications and FAST channels worldwide.” Hodge has been at the helm of Toon Goggles, Digital Media Interactive, and ANywhere Artists, and now leads OTTera’s strategies for content licensing, business development, monetization. OTTera was launched in 2017 by a team with more than seven years of industry experience and has since worked with Roku, Vizio, Sony, Samsung, and Hisense. Recent partnerships include LAFIG Belgium and IMPS, with whom OTTera plans to create two animated linear FAST channels. Most recently, OTTera made an investment deal with AfroLandTV, a Black-centered streamer backed by Comcast NBCUniversal and Techstars. Hodge is also on the executive board of AfroLandTV.
Fernando Hurtado, an award-winning bilingual journalist, is the Manager of Digital Video at NBCUniversal Local. Hurtado has produced editorial segments for TV, digital, and OTT platforms, and now produces digital video for NBC- and Telemundo-owned local stations, regional sports networks, and the LX News network. At NBCU Local, Hurtado has covered events like the Tokyo Olympics, US presidential election cycles, the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, and the 2016 DNC. He is also an adjunct instructor at the University of Southern California, and as served as supervising producer on the 2-time Webby-winning podcast My New Favorite Olympian. Hurtado, who previously worked at ATTN: and Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Circa outlet, has had his work appear on Fusion, USA Today, The Huffington Post, and Variety Latino.
Helen Lum is the Executive VP at measurement and attribution platform App Science, where she oversees business and growth strategies. Lum has more than a decade of experience in digital media, campaign management, and business operations scaling. Lum previously helped build and manage the global account management team at Sabio, App Science’s parent company. There, Lum worked on the first mobile retargeting campaign in the industry. Before Sabio, Lum led campaign management teams at Opera Mediaworks (AdColony) and Conversant. She was one of Sabio’s first employees, and quickly rose through the ranks from associate director of account management to her current position.
Trixie Pacis is the Director of Acquisitions & Original Programming Development at ChimeTV, where she curates and develops programming. ChimeTV, a new Asian American and Pacific Islander cable network, centers its content on the AAPI community and its cultures. Pacis previously headed script development at Drive Films and was a screenwriter, producer, and director in North America and in Asia. Pacis began her career as a writer at Los Angeles magazine, after which she became an assistant and Trisko Talent Agency, a script development coordinator at Drive Films, then a freelancer in those areas. Pacis has won awards for her film writing, and will soon launch a woman- and Asian-American-owned TV network.
Joy Phillips is the Senior VP of Publicity at AMC Networks. She has more than 15 years of PR experience and currently oversees consumer publicity campaigns across AMC’s linear and curated streaming platforms. She has recently worked on Dark Winds, Kevin Can F Himself, This is Going to Hurt, Gangs of London, Season 4 of Killing Eve, My Life is Murder, Harry Wild, and Sundance Now’s State of the Union. Her upcoming series include the second season of Dark Winds, Happy Valley Season 3, Monsieur Spade, and Parish. Phillips also oversees PR strategy for WEtv and ALLBLK. She has been with AMC since 2019 and has previously worked at Rubenstein, Starz, Fifteen Minutes Public Relations, and Wolf-Kasteler Public Relations.
Shaheen Sayani is the Head of Content Partnerships, Samsung TV Plus at Samsung Electronics America. She has over a decade of industry experience, having developed business strategies, managed acquisitions, and built internal systems. Sayani previously worked at Netflix, VideoElephant, and Caffeine.
Ahmadou Seck is the VP of Scripted TV at Macro, a multiplatform media company, where he produces scripted and unscripted projects. Seck has worked on Emmy-nominated Raising Dion, as well as Government Cheese and The Scent of Burnt Flowers. He previously worked at CAA, Pivot, and Will Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment, where he was an associate producer on Cobra Kai. He has also held leadership positions on the CAA Multicultural Committee, Colour Entertainment, and AfroBunch.
Alex Yee is the Co-Creator, Writer, and Executive Producer of Arcane for Riot Games. Yee started at Riot in 2011 as a player support specialist and has since worked as a creative designer on League of Legends and in his current role as co-creator, writer, and EP of Netflix’s Arcane. Arcane, now in production on Season 2, won four Emmy Awards.
Comedian, actor, writer, and content creator Nate Jackson has signed with CAA for representation. Jackson, who got his start on TikTok, tours as a stand-up comedian, selling clubs and theaters across the country. He will appear in Aziz Ansari’s upcoming film Good Fortune, and also played a recurring role on Young Rock, made an appearance on Apple TV+’s Spirited, and appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Jackson is also an alum of Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out.
After 25 years at CBS Studios, Kevin Berg will depart as Senior Executive Vice President of CBS Network Television Entertainment. His departure comes as CBS and Paramount TV Studios consolidate under the leadership of George Cheeks. EVP and Head of Production for Paramount TV Studios Liz Miller will now oversee production for both companies. No layoffs are expected to accompany Berg’s exit. Cheeks outlined his plan for the consolidation in November, highlighting the centralization of back-end functions and the combination of production teams. An internal memo sent to staff by Bryon Rubin, COO and CFO of CBS, CBS Studios President David Stapf, and Paramount Television Studios President Nicole Clemens stated,
“Looking to the future, this move is an extension of the Studios Group vision that George outlined for us in November: two best-in-class brands with their own leaders and separate creative teams, bolstered by streamlined support operations.”
Berg was known in the company as “Dr. No,” owing to his reputation for keeping costs low. He joined CBS in 1998, when the company had only three shows, and spearheaded production across the globe on the morning, daytime, primetime, and late night (with the exception of news and sports). Berg was financially responsible for all production costs and schedules and oversaw an annual $4 billion in production costs. Ruben, Stapf, and Clemens called Berg’s contributions “monumental,” stating their gratitude for his service and acumen. Miller, Berg’s replacement, oversaw production on shows like Jack Ryan and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Miller was previously SVP of Production at CBS Studios, managing more than 15 series, after which she worked at Netflix before returning to CBS in 2019. She also contributed to the launch of CBS All Access, the company’s first streaming platform. In the internal memo, Rubin, Stapf, and Clemens wrote,
“Liz is a tireless worker and an accomplished leader. She is a trusted partner with her counterparts at all the networks and streamers, as well as with producers across the globe, overseeing the production process as efficiently as possible, always with a smile and steady resolve.”
Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega has been promoted to a producing role on the show’s next installment. Ortega told Elle Fanning that the series’ next phase will take on more horror and shy away from romantic storylines. She said,
“We’ve decided we want to lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more, because it is so lighthearted, and a show like this with vampires and werewolves and superpowers, you don’t want to take yourself too seriously. We’re ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday, which is really great.”
Season 1 featured a love triangle storyline, which Ortega has said “made no sense” for her titular character. Ortega, who has never produced before, is excited about a new “hands-on” role in the production.
“With a character like Wednesday, who is so beloved and such a legend, I just really didn’t want to get her wrong. So I try to have as many conversations as possible. On set, with the writers and Tim [Burton], we all would get together and decide, ‘Okay, what works and what doesn’t?’ It was naturally already very collaborative. [I]n preparation for a second season, we wanted to get ahead of the curve and make sure that we could start the conversations earlier, and I’m just so curious. I want to see the outfits, new characters that are coming in, scripts, and they were gracious enough to let me put the producer hat on.”
The actor also spoke about childhood stardom, commiserating with Fanning about the lack of respect for young women in the industry.
“[S]ometimes people don’t take you as seriously or as open to the conversations before. . . . I just stay in my place, and I don’t know because I’m not this or that, or I’m just an actor. You become a puppet. But the most beautiful experiences that I’ve had on a job, or the jobs that I’m most proud of, have always been the ones where everyone’s voice is heard. Everyone pitches in.”
Ortega says that her first producing role was a “natural progression” after the runaway success of Season 1, and despite some apprehension, she’s excited to dig in.
“I feel like a kid in a candy store. But at the same time, I’m in the phase where I’m still sending the wrong email to three different people.”
Mike Batayeh, the actor and comedian known for his role as the manager of Gus’s laundromat on Breaking Bad, has died at age 52. Batayeh passed of a heart attack on June 1 at his home in Michigan, according to a statement released by his family.
“It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that my sisters and I announce the passing of our dear brother. He will be greatly missed by those who loved him and his great ability to bring laughter and joy to so many.”
Batayeh also made appearances on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Sleeper Cell, The Bernie Mac Show, Boy Meets World, and Everybody Loves Raymond, as well as in films like American Dreamz and Detroit Unleaded. As a stand-up comedian, Batayeh headlined at well-known clubs such as New York’s Gotham and the Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, the Improv, and the Icehouse in Los Angeles. He was one of the first American comedians to perform for local audiences in the Middle East, where he performed shows in Dubai, Egypt, Lebanon, Nazareth, and Jordan, as well as a special for Showtime Arabia. He was invited to perform at the Amman International Comedy Festival by the royal family of Jordan two years in a row. Batayeh was a Detroit native. A celebration of life will be held on June 16th in Plymouth, Michigan.
Paul Eckstein, co-creator of Godfather of Harlem, died on Tuesday at age 59. Eckstein served as a co-creator, writer, and executive producer on the Emmy-award-winning series. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and earned degrees in international relations and creative writing from Brown University. He began his career in theater, becoming a founding member of the Naked Angels Theater Company. He then moved to acting, producing, and writing on a variety of TV and film projects. He appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager as an actor and wrote for Street Time, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and The Dead Zone, as well as co-produced Hoodlum, led the writers room on the first season of Narcos and is an executive producer on the upcoming show August Snow led by Keegan-Michael Key. Eckstein is survived by his wife Hala Khouri and sons Sebastian and Marley Eckstein. MGM+ and ABC Signature wrote in a statement,
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of our brilliant colleague, Paul Eckstein, the co-creator and executive producer of Godfather of Harlem and a beloved member of the MGM+ and ABC Signature families. Working on the series was a labor of love for Paul who based the show in part on his family’s personal history. Paul was passionate, a creative force, known for his kindness, and generosity. He was a mentor and friend to many, and he will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and his longtime collaborator Chris Brancato.”
Chief Content Officer at Netflix Bela Bajaria spoke at a keynote address at the UCLA Entertainment Symposium to clear the air about Netflix’s recent crackdown on password sharing, among other recent industry gossip. In the hourlong Q&A, Bajaria emphasized that Netflix’s use of data to “inform programming and strategic decisions” does not mean that algorithms “decide what [the streamer] make[s].” Referring to the popular series The Queen’s Gambit and Beef, she said,
“There’s not an algorithm that would probably say, you know what’s a great idea? A period show about a woman playing chess, [Nor would data analytics ever deliver a report instructing them to] do something thematically about connection and lonEliness, and maybe throw in road rage for the inciting incident.”
Bajaria also emphasized her support for the streamer’s “binge model” of episodic television as opposed to weekly releases. She told partner and co-founder of Ziffren Brittenham Ken Ziffren,
“There is no data to support that weekly is better, and it’s not a great consumer experience. We don’t make global shows. We make local authentic shows in every country, and they’re on a global platform. And because stories can be universal, and themes can be universal and people can have access for the first time. So this will lead to shows and films from different countries, other people may find them and love them, and they’ll connect with a global audience. But we really make local shows on a global platform.”
When pressed on how Netflix oversees its dizzying content budget, Bajaria emphasized that the streamer looks to make content targeted at specific regions and audiences, then releases that content to the world, rather than vice versa. She also spoke about her own upbringing, discussing her family’s relocation from the UK to the US when she was 9 years old and the importance of American television in her integration into a new culture.
“To now be in a job and a company where it’s not just Hollywood exporting stories, it’s also people from different countries in different languages telling their own authentic stories and their own languages on a global platform, and to be a part of that, [which] has never happened before, is incredibly rewarding, personally and professionally.”
Bajaria also discussed renewal metrics, transparency, and content ownership. She remained tight-lipped on issues surrounding the ongoing WGA strike.
Strike Watch: The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain’s screenwriters are set to gather at Leicester Square in London on June 14 in support of the ongoing WGA strike. The protest, organized by the Writers Guilds and the Federation of Screenwriters in Europe, is part of a “Global Day of Solidarity,” and will see WGA and Federation of Entertainment Unions members join the WGGB at the Square. Though they would not see direct results from the WGA strike, the work stoppage has garnered support from many WGGB members, with the guild instructing its members to stop work on projects within the WGA’s jurisdiction on May 2. After early confusion over strike solidarity rules for “‘struck’ companies” like Disney and Netflix, the WGGB and WGA clarified that pre-existing projects with struck companies may continue, but starting new work is discouraged. The protest is planned for 1:00 PM on June 14th, with “witty slogans” encouraged.