FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (WEDNESDAY 1/22/20)
COMEDY CENTRAL: Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens (Premiere) at 10:30pm
BET: Tyler Perry’s The Oval (Finale) at 9pm
Netflix brought in 8.76 million global paid subscribers in Q4 2019, bringing its subscriber total to 167.1 million and besting Wall Street expectations despite a slower intake on US additions. Quarterly earnings per share of $1.30 and revenue of $5.47 billion also handily beat estimates. In its letter to shareholders yesterday, the streamer also explained its new ratings methodology, and said The Witcher delivered its best-ever results for a first-season original TV series, drawing million member households during its first four weeks. Also, the second season of You, was watched by 54 member HHS, and 21 million HHs watched season 3 of The Crown, a 40 percent gain over season 2 in the same initial four weeks.
(Source: Cynopsis)
ViacomCBS solidified its Entertainment & Youth Group leadership under president Chris McCarthy. Here’s the scoop: Nina Diaz, current president of MTV, VH1 and Logo Group, gets an elevated role as president of content and chief creative officer. Keri Panichi Flint, most recently SVP and head of production at MTV, MTV Studios, VH1, CMT and Logo, will lead ViacomCBS’ Entertainment & Youth production management group. Tanya Giles expands her role as GM of Comedy Central, Paramount Network and TV Land to become head of content strategy and programming. Keyes Hill-Edgar steps into the newly created role of COO, and Jacqueline Parkes expands her role in the new position of CMO and head of digital studios. Barbara Zaneri will continue in her role as EVP of global program acquisitions. Additionally, Brianna Cayo-Cotter is upped to SVP of social impact, Liza Burnett Fefferman is elevated to EVP of communications for the group, and Laurel Weir has been promoted to oversee the Entertainment & Youth research and insights team.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Departing the company are 20-year Viacom vet Amy Doyle, EVP/GM of MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo; Mike Greco, EVP for content strategy and business planning at MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo; and Steve Albani, SVP of communications for Comedy Central, Paramount Network and TV Land.
(Source: Cynopsis)
CMT will institute 50/50 video airplay for female artists on both CMT and CMT Music channels, effective immediately, an increase from the current 40/60 ratio.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Live events continue to pop up in the digital-driven universe. Digi lifestyle brand PopSugar will again stage its experiential event Play/Ground for a third year in NY on June 13-14. Female-led is expected to draw more than 15,000 women.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Netflix is continuing on its film roll. The company acquired rights to Bradley Cooper’s untitled Leonard Bernstein film, which he’ll direct, star in and produce from a script he co-wrote with Spotlight writer Josh Singer. The project, which centers on Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre, initially was set at Paramount in 2018. Producers on the film include Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Cooper and Todd Phillips, his Joint Effort producing partner. Film is expected to begin production early next year and will have a theatrical release before heading to the streaming site.
(Source: Cynopsis)
ABC gave a pilot order to Prospect, its first comedy pilot order or the season. From Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer, director/producer Randall Einhorn and ABC Studios, where Einhorn has an overall deal, series is touted as a comedic Western with a feminist twist centered on an idealistic young woman who moves to the frontier to be a schoolteacher.
(Source: Cynopsis)
NBC renewed four-time Emmy-nominated series American Ninja Warrior for its ninth season. Hosted by Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, series will return this summer shooting in three cities—LA, DC and St. Louis. The show’s annual USA Vs. the World telecast will air Sunday, January 26 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Pose co-creator Steven Canals inked an overall deal with 20th Century Fox TV. Co-created and exec-produced by Canals, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the Peabody Award-winning Pose recently finished its second season on FX and will return for a third season in 2020.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Screenwriter Gary Dauberman, the scribe behind top-grossing horror films It: Chapter Two and Annabelle Comes Home, and DC Universe drama Swamp Thing, signed a first-look deal with UCP, a division of NBCUniversal Content Studios. Dauberman will write and produce scripted projects via his new production company Coin Operated.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Laura Dern will star in Quibi series Just One Drink, written by author and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nick Hornby. Project, a series of one-act vignettes between a bartender and the customers she serves, comes via Jaywalker Pictures.
(Source: Cynopsis)
HBO Max crowned The Prince, created by Gary Janetti (Family Guy, Will & Grace), as its latest animated comedy series order. The series is inspired by Janetti’s Instagram account that satirizes British Royals through the eyes of a young Prince George, eldest child of Prince William and Princess Kate.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Digital series Take it There with Taylor Rooks will get a second season on Bleacher Report. The show, which streams on YouTube and Bleacher Report’s site and app, features sit-downs with NBA and NFL players and other pro athletes.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Endemol Shine Iberia (Spain) signed an agreement to co-develop dramedy series Fuego, created by Carlos Wasserman (Cumbia Ninja). Story centers on a pop singer who, after trying to leave her manager/husband, is tricked and sent to a strange “clinic” for women.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Heartland Docs, DVM premieres on Nat Geo Wild Saturday, January 25 at 10p. Series features Drs. Ben and Erin Schroeder, who help animals from hamsters to horses to horned owls at their rural veterinary practice in Hartington, NE.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Also emanating from middle America is new Travel Channel series Haunting in the Heartland, premiering on Friday, February 21 at 10p. Viewers can catch paranormal investigator Steve Shippy visits Midwestern towns that have been traumatized for generations by ripples of fear.
(Source: Cynopsis)
All 10 eps of Netflix’s Latinx series Gentefied will premiere Friday, February 21. Exec producer America Ferrera and Wilmer Valderrama will guest on the comedic series, adapted from the 2017 Sundance digital project about three Mexican-American cousins struggling to chase the American Dream.
(Source: Cynopsis)
TV One’s longest-running series Unsung returns Sunday, February 23 at 10p. New season kicks off with ‘90s R&B group Dru Hill, and future episodes will feature MC Roxanne Shante, Christopher Williams, Skyy, and Al Jarreau.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Netflix will debut I Am Not Okay With This, from the producers of Stranger Things and director/exec producer of The End of the F***ing World, on Wednesday, February 26. Irreverent story follows a teenage girl navigating the trials and tribulations of high school… Then on Thursday, February 27, the streamer is set to drop season 2 of sci-fi series Altered Carbon.
(Source: Cynopsis)
AMC Networks’ streaming service Acorn TV announced five commissioned originals for the 2020 lineup including Irish comedy drama The South Westerlies, New Zealand thriller The Sounds, and Irish period mystery series Dead Still. On the roster in January are season 6 of the Brokenwood Mysteries, season 13 of Murdoch Mysteries and season 3 of Ackley Bridge. February 10 brings the return of Agatha Raisin. Stay tuned for a Cynsiders interview with star Ashley Jensen.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Discovery Family Channel has a toasty slate of series returns for February. Season 10 of Cake Boss bows Saturday, February 15 at 9p, with Buddy Valastro and the Carlo’s bakery crew. Dinosaurs, Brush Strokes and Edible Art returns Saturday, February 15 at 9p, Valastro-fueled Rollercoasters, Cook-Offs and Cupcake Island premieres Saturday, February 15 at 9:30p, Waves, Watermelons and Wipe Outs drops Saturday, February 22 at 9p and there’s more Buddy in Thunderbirds and Butterflies premiering Saturday, February 29 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
New year, new SNL: Adam Driver will return to host for the third time January 25, with musical guest Halsey, followed by Texans QB JJ Watt and Luke Combs on February 1, and RuPaul with his debut SNL host appearance and Justin Bieber on February 8.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Nat Geo will debut Academy Award-nominated documentary feature The Cave on Saturday, January 25 at 9p. The film, about a subterranean hospital in war-torn Syria and its chief, Dr. Amani Ballour, will be presented without commercial interruption.
(Source: Cynopsis)
CNBC’s latest one-hour original documentary is the story of former Nissan and Renault Alliance chief Carlos Ghosn’s rise and spectacular fall. Doc premieres Monday, January 27 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) is in as a series regular opposite Ted Danson, Holly Hunter and Bobby Moynihan in NBC’s untitled LA Mayor comedy series… Keon Alexander (NCIS, Impulse), Nadine Nicole (Casual) and Jasai Chase Owens (The Deuce) were promoted to series regulars for the upcoming fifth season of Amazon’s The Expanse… Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. TV series at Hulu added Sam Richardson (Veep), Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs), Ben Schwartz (House of Lies) and Aimee Garcia (Lucifer) to the cast of animated supervillain family sitcom starring exec producer Patton Oswalt.
(Source: Cynopsis)
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