Keely's Korner

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 3/19/20)
BRAVO: Top Chef (Premiere) at 10pm
BYU TV: All-Round Champion (Premiere) at 8pm
FOOD NETWORK: The Great Food Truck Race (Premiere) at 9pm
E!: Very Cavallari (Finale) at 9pm
ID: Man with a Van (Finale) at 9pm
SCIENCE: What on Earth? (Finale) at 9pm

Fox Corporation took a deep dive into the streaming business with the purchase of AVOD Tubi for $440 million. “Tubi will immediately expand our direct-to-consumer audience and capabilities and will provide our advertising partners with more opportunities to reach audiences at scale,” said Fox CEO Lachlan. “Importantly, coupled with the combined power of FOX’s existing networks, Tubi provides a substantial base from which we will drive long-term growth in the direct-to-consumer arena.” Tubi will run as an independent service, but will now offer older Fox shows for free to subscribers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Starz is saying goodbye to Vida. The Latinx, LGBTQ-focused series from Tanya Saracho will wrap after its upcoming third season, debuting on Sunday, April 26. Vida premiered in 2018.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Craig Melvin co-anchored MSNBC’s 11a newscast from his home on Wednesday, telling viewers “We are going to get through this. The reality is, this is the new reality.” Melvin self-quarantined after possibly being exposed to the coronavirus. Earlier that day, Savannah Guthrie anchored Today from her home because she had a sore throat.
(Source: Cynopsis)

CBS This Morning begins taping from the Ed Sullivan Theater today. The move to the home of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was made after six CBS News employees tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Late Show is on hiatus due to the pandemic.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Fox News is returning to Twitter, over a year after going silent on the platform. The first tweet directed followers to FoxNews.com or Fox News Channel on TV or online – no authentication required – for “tips on keeping safe and stories of survival, struggle and inspiration” in the age of COVID-19.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Facebook said it will give $100 million to 30,000 small businesses in more than 30 countries to boost the global economy during the coronavirus pandemic. Some140 million small businesses use Facebook platforms, and they can apply for help by sharing the nature of their business and how they would use the funds. Facebook is also working with the World Health Organization to remove fake news about the virus from its platforms.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The ARF has partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to help build awareness of and encourage participation in the 2020 Census. The ARF will host events and provide speaking opportunities and advertising. “The accuracy and reliability of census data is dependent on civic participation. Low participation would have detrimental effects on our industry for the next ten years, as insights sourced from this data would be skewed and unreliable,” said Scott McDonald, CEO and President of the ARF. “We urge both members and the overall industry to support and preserve this institution.” Census Day will be observed nationwide on April 1.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Cable Center decided to reschedule the 23rd annual Cable Hall of Fame celebration. “The health and safety of our Cable Hall of Fame attendees, honorees and community is always our highest priority,” said Jana Henthorn, President and CEO, The Cable Center. “We look forward to celebrating the 2020 honorees this fall, and express our gratitude for your understanding and continued support.” A new date will be announced soon.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity has also moved the dates of its event to October 26 to 30. The annual convention, which brings media executives and creatives to the Riviera, normally runs in June.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Meanwhile, since TV executives can’t attend MIPTV, this year, the annual content market in Cannes run by Reed MIDEM is launching on online service in hopes of stimulating business. The platform will be available for free to all registered MIPTV, MIPDoc and MIPFormats 2020 clients, and will offer exclusive content originally planned for the 57th edition of MIPTV, which was scheduled to run March 28 to April 2 in Cannes.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The cancellation of the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament could see ViacomCBS take a $350 million hit this quarter, according to media analyst David Miller from Imperial Capital. Miller has cut earnings forecasts for the company and his price target for the stock, which was down 16% on Wednesday.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Fleabag was a big winner at Tuesday’s UK Royal Television Society Programme Awards, picking up the scripted comedy prize and comedy award prize for creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The ceremony was live-streamed to nominees and viewers due to the coronavirus pandemic. Other winners include Chernobyl writer Craig Mazinm, who took the drama prize; Channel 5, which was named channel of the year; RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, which nabbed best entertainment show; and Gentleman Jack, which was awarded best drama series.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Bakeaway Camp with Martha Stewart premieres Monday, May 4 at 9p on Food Network. Stewart helps six amateur bakers compete in outdoor camp-inspired culinary challenges in the four-part series.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Paranormal pioneers Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango return to the hunt on Season 2 of Ghost Station. Cadaver digs are called in for the two-hour special premiere airing Wednesday, April 22 at 8p on Travel Channel.
(Source: Cynopsis)

With production suspended and post-production delayed on its series, Showtime amended its on-air schedule. Black Monday shifts from premiering two episodes to one episode per week beginning Sunday, March 22 through Sunday, April 12. The debut of new docu-series Outcry, originally slated for Friday, April 3, and Love Fraud, originally scheduled for Friday, May 8, will move to future dates in 2020, to be announced in the upcoming weeks.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Spy Wars with Damian Lewis bows Sunday, March 22 at 8p on Smithsonian Channel. The eight-part docu-series retraces movements of some of the world’s most notorious spies.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Que Culpa Tiene Fatmagul premieres Monday, March 23 at 7p on UniMas. Turkish drama tells the story of a young woman, who lives in a seaside town and is counting the days to marry her childhood love, when tragedy strikes totally altering her life.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Oxygen searches for truth and justice with two-night special The Forgotten West Memphis Three, debuting Saturday, March 28 at 8p. The investigative documentary reexamines the infamous 1993 case of three eight-year-old boys, who were brutally murdered in a West Memphis creek.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Animal Planet is upping its cuteness factor. In celebration of spring solstice, the net kicks off a 94-hour marathon of Too Cute! on Wednesday, March 18 at 12p. Each episode chronicles precious moments and milestones in the lives of cuddly creatures from furry felines to teacup pigs and more.
(Source: Cynopsis)

INSP is offering comfort programming during these trying times. Family friendly shows include The Waltons, airing weekdays from 7a to 9a, as well as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, The Cowboy Way and Walker, Texas Ranger.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Pulped’s new video series, 3 Chords, challenges contestants to create an original song by mastering just three musical chords. Pulped posted the series’ three, 30-minute episodes on its website, pulped.com.
(Source: Cynopsis)

POPSUGAR released monthly subscription fitness app, Active by POPSUGAR, free of charge for the foreseeable future. Users can access over 500 fitness classes on the new Active by POPSUGAR website, which features content from celebrity trainers and experts in different categories.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Rolling Stone launched live-from-home online music series In My Room on Wednesday, featuring Beach Boys cofounder and songwriter Brian Wilson.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Netflix set Thursday, April 16 as the release date for Season 3 of Israeli thriller Fauda. The 12-episode series bows in all territories where the streamer is available, excluding France and French-speaking territories (June 4) and Israel (June 25).
(Source: Cynopsis)

On Wednesday Charli XCX debuted new daily show Self-Isolation IG Livestream, a series of daily online events geared toward providing support to those self-isolating due to COVID-19. Each day, the singer will invite guests to “spark conversation, share insight, or simply entertain fans across the world who are currently practicing social distancing.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Nickelodeon launched #KidsTogether, a global prosocial initiative to help kids and families stay informed and engaged with activities to do together at home. Featuring SpongeBob SquarePants, Blue’s Clues & You!, Henry Danger, Bubble Guppies and The Casagrandes, the initiative provides kid-appropriate and directed information through original short-form videos, interstitials, downloadable activities and social content.
(Source: Cynopsis)

In response to the coronavirus, TuneIn is offering listeners the Coronavirus News channel as well as dedicated COVID-19 podcasts and live breaking news national networks, including MSNBC, CNN, FOX News Talk, CNBC and Bloomberg News, among others.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Sling TV has introduced a free, news-driven access offer during the coronavirus outbreak. Called “Stay in &Sling!,” it includes access to 24/7 streaming video news channel ABC News Live, and also offers thousands of movies and shows suitable for kids and families. “To stay informed in these uncertain times, Americans need access to news from reputable sources,” said Warren Schlichting, Group President, Sling TV. “With many Americans finding themselves staying at home, we have an opportunity to use our platform to help them deal with this rapidly evolving situation.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

A Facebook glitch marked some coronavirus posts as spam, blocking legitimate entries. Facebook users began noticing the issue on Tuesday, while sharing articles about the outbreak from publications like USA Today, The Atlantic and others. Facebook Vice President for integrity, Guy Rosen, addressed the issue, noting that the problem was due to a bug in the company’s spam-filtering system and had been fixed. “We’ve restored all the posts that were incorrectly removed which included posts on all topics – not just those related to COVID-19,” said Rosen in a statement: “This was an issue with an automated system that removes links to abusive websites, but incorrectly removed a lot of other posts, too.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
If you have tickets to a Broadway Show you are eligible to get a refund. Performances after April 12 remain on sale, are expected to continue as scheduled.

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 3/12/20)
HISTORY: Swamp People: Serpent Invasion (Premiere) at 11pm
WE TV: Waka & Tammy (Premiere) at 10pm
BRAVO: Project Runway (Finale) at 9pm
CBS: Carol’s Second Act (Finale) at 9:30pm
FREEFORM: Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Finale) at 8:30pm

ABC renewed Station 19 for a fourth season. Ranking as the #1 program in Thursday’s 8p hour this season among total viewers and A8-49, the firefighter drama is growing its overall audience over its prior season (+9%) to deliver its most-watched season ever.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Netflix ordered a sixth season of Queer Eye, ahead of the makeover series’ season five debut this summer. This time around, the Fab Five will be based in Austin, where they’ll “scour the prairie in a search for a whole new roster of heroes in need of a little TLC.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

After meetings with the French government, health authorities, and city officials from Lille about COVID-19 concerns, the 2020 Series Mania Festival (March 20-28), Series Mania Forum (March 25-27), and Lille Dialogues (March 26) have been cancelled….Also off is the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, scheduled for April 18-22, though among the alternatives being considered is an event later in the year….UCLA’s 44th Annual Entertainment Symposium, slated for March 20-21, has been postponed to a later date….NCAA Tournament games will be played with only essential staff and family….National Lampoon musical comedy Lemmings: 21st Century, has been postponed from its scheduled March 14-15 dates in NYC.
(Source: Cynopsis)

With companies opting out of events due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Interactive Advertising Bureau is adding video-streaming options to members forgoing live and in-person presentations. “Presenters will be able to use your own platforms or domains to host the streamed events, with IAB redirecting users to proprietary domains, or viewers will be able to access the presenter’s content directly through the IAB streamed option,” said the IAB. The organization’s Digital Content NewFront event is slated to take place April 27-May 6 in NYC.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Among those taking the IAB up on its NewFronts offer are Twitter and YouTube. “We’re excited to embrace this new level of flexibility that the IAB has so thoughtfully laid out for its presenters,” said Twitter. “We’ll share more in the coming weeks.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Add The View; Live With Kelly and Ryan; Good Morning America,;Strahan, Sara and Keke; and Tamron Hall to the list of syndicated shows that will tape without a studio audience due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “Given the current developing situation in New York City, we have made the decision to suspend live audiences from attending our news broadcasts and talk shows,” said a Walt Disney Television rep. The Wendy Williams Show, Dr. Phil, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune were already taping without an audience.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Late night shows will also tape without studio audiences. Starting Monday, March 16, CBS’s The Late Show, NBC’s The Tonight Show and Late Night, TBS’s Full Frontal and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show will forgo the live laughter. (TBS’s Conan was pre-taped.) Full Frontal’s Samantha Bee joked that she’ll do her show in front of a mirror, “which I actually prefer.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Production on season 41 of Survivor is delayed, “due to concerns and uncertainty surrounding the spread of COVID-19 globally,” said CBS. While the setting, Fiji, has no reported cases, over 400 crew members would be flying in from over 20 countries, noted Survivor host /exec producer Jeff Probst to his team. Production is set to resume on May 19.
(Source: Cynopsis)

With the Dow Jones plunging 5.86%, or 1464 points yesterday, media stocks felt the pain – though most fared better than the overall market. Disney stock slid 5.3%, ViacomCBS dropped 3.5%, and Comcast was down 3%. Among tech stocks, Twitter sank 8.8%, Alphabet fell 5%, Facebook dipped 4.5%, Amazon was down 3.7% and Apple fell 3.5%.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Oxygen greenlit three new true crime shows. Exhumed, from Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ Milogo Productions, focuses on murder cases in which unearthing the body helps solve the crime; The Jane Doe Murders, from MY Entertainment, uses new technology to identify bodies; and special The Case Died With Us, from BuzzFeed News and Pulse Films, explores a case involving a woman in her 30s who died after bringing charges against Jim Wilder for sexually inappropriate behavior when she was a minor. Injustice with Nancy Grace was renewed for season two.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Showtime gave a pilot order for drama series American Gigolo, starring Jon Bernthal (Ford v Ferrari, The Walking Dead) and written and directed by Emmy nominee David Hollander (Ray Donovan). Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the 1980 film starring Richard Gere, will executive produce along with Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed. Bernthal also serves as a producer. Paramount Television Studios is producing.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Viacom International Studios UK is producing The Story of Songs for Reelz. Ten-parter is based on ABBA: Secrets of Their Greatest Songs, a documentary Viacom International Studios produced for Channel 5 last year. “We’re excited to work with Viacom International Studios on The Story of the Songs which we believe will strike a chord with our viewers who crave real stories about legendary celebrities and entertainers,” said Steve Cheskin, SVP of Programming at Reelz.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Sci-fi and fantasy magazine Heavy Metal and DIGA Studios, a content studio and production company owned by Allyance Media Group, are teaming to bring original Heavy Metal content to film, television, podcasts and more. Both parties will develop new stories that contain the Heavy Metal brand’s attitude, while also mining Heavy Metal’s 40 years’ worth of library content.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The race for undersea treasure is back when Bering Sea Gold returns to Discovery on Wednesday, April 1 at 9p. Ahead of the premiere comes a Bering Sea Gold catch-up special, March 25 at 11p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Deadly Recall returns to ID on Wednesday, April 15 at 10p. Season two will include six of Det. Postiglione’s most well-known cases, including the murder of an NFL star, a triple homicide steps from a college campus, and the unknowing discovery of two serial killers on the loose.
(Source: Cynopsis)

CBS All Access animated variety news series, Tooning Out the News, will launch on Monday, March 16 in the U.S. and Canada. Series is exec produced by Stephen Colbert and Chris Licht of The Late Show, and RJ Fried and Tim Luecke from Our Cartoon President.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Court TV’s OJ25 series will look back at defense attorney F. Lee Bailey’s grilling of Detective Mark Fuhrman during the O.J. Simpson murder trial, along with new interviews with both about the explosive exchange, tonight, March 12 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

New episodes of PBS’s Nature kick off Wednesday, April 1 at 8p (check local listings) with “Cuba’s Wild Revolution,” featuring the likes of jumping crocodiles, tiny hummingbirds and bat-eating boas.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Justin Bieber will perform at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2020, taking place Sunday, March 22 at 7:30p. Chance the Rapper is hosting.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Chris Bauer (The Deuce), Allen Maldonado (The Last O.G.), and James Harrison (S.W.A.T.) have been cast as series regulars in Starz’ Heels, set in the world of small-town wrestling…Scott Foley (Scandal) landed a lead role in Fox ballet comedy pilot The Big Leap… Erin Richards (Gotham) will star opposite Gina Torres and Katherine Reis in ABC Dracula drama pilot The Brides.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Peter Weber’s waffling was a ratings win for ABC, as Part 2 of The Bachelor finale delivered 8.5 million total viewers and a 2.4/12 Nielsen rating among A18-49. It was the reality show’s most-watched telecast in four years, matching its highest rating in three years.
(Source: Cynopsis)

UniMás’ Enamorándonos increased its audience week-to-week among A18-34 (+5% to 143,000) while averaging 715,000 Total Viewers 2+ and 344,000 A18-49.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Carol’s Second Act on CBS topped TVision’s February ranking for ad viewability among new broadcast episodes, while HGTV’s House Hunters International was #1 in cable.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Six is opening on Thursday March 12, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/six/

The Minutes is opening on Sunday March 15, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/minutes/

The Inheritance – Part 1 is closing on Sunday March 15, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/the-inheritance/

The Inheritance – Part 2 is closing on Sunday March 15, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/the-inheritance-part-2/

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show is closing on Sunday March 15, 2020
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/riverdance-25th-anniversary-show/

A Soldier’s Play is closing on Sunday March 15, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/soldiers-play/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 3/5/20)
CIRCLE NETWORK: Craig’s World (Premiere) at 8pm
FOOD NETWORK: Vegas Chef Prizefight (Premiere) at 10pm
FX: Better Things (Premiere) at 10pm
FXX: Cake (Premiere) at 10pm
HGTV: Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa (Premiere) at 9pm
ID: My Murder Story (Premiere) at 10pm
MTV: The Busch Family Brewed (Premiere) at 9pm
UP TV: Bringing Up Bates (Premiere) at 7pm
TRU TV: Impractical Jokers (Finale) at 10pm
WE TV: Growing Up Hip Hop (Finale) at 9pm

Fox News was the first network to cancel its upfront event, scheduled for March 24. “In a precautionary effort to keep our employees, client and agency partners safe, we have determined that it would be best to cancel our upcoming event in New York based on public health concerns due to Coronavirus,” said Jeff Collins, EVP of Fox News Media Advertising Sales. The news came one day after Disney+ canceled its European press launch event over coronavirus concerns. The annual Google I/O developers conference and Facebook’s F8 Developers Conference, both scheduled for May in California, had also been canceled; Adobe’s Summit event in Las Vegas will be hosted online.
(Source: Cynopsis)

No Cannes do: Amid France’s coronavirus outbreak, Reed Midem canceled TV market MIPTV 2020, slated for March 30-April 2. Also canceled are MIPDocs and MIPformats, scheduled for March 28-29. Canneseries has been moved to October 12-15, where it will run with MIPCOM. “In the current context, many of our clients have expressed concerns about travelling at this time. Rescheduling MipTV in the coming months is not feasible, so the most appropriate course of action is to cancel MipTV for 2020,” said Reed Midum.
(Source: Cynopsis)

As far as the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on ViacomCBS, “The broader media industry on a relative basis is probably less exposed that other sectors and ViacomCBS is less exposed relative to some of its competitors,” said CEO Bob Bakish at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference. Bakish also said the company has plans to sell its Simon & Schuster publishing unit, which “does not have a significant connection for our broader business.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

The shows will go on at SXSW, at least for now, despite the withdrawals of Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and more. “It’s important for us to remember at this stage that we’re actively evaluating mass gatherings on a daily basis,” said Mark Escott, interim medical director and health authority for Austin Public Health. “Right now there’s no evidence that closing South by Southwest or other activities is going to make this community safer. We’re constantly monitoring that situation.” Event is slated to place March 13-22 in Austin.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Tavis Smiley will have to pay PBS at least $1.5 million after a jury found he breached a morals clause in his contract by having affairs with subordinates. PBS suspended Smiley’s late night show in 2017 after receiving a complaint. “We are pleased with the jury’s decision,” a PBS spokesperson said. “PBS expects our producing partners to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect. It was important for us to ensure that the courageous women who came forward were able to share their stories and that we continue to uphold the values and standards of our organization.” Smiley said his contract did not forbid sexual relationships and he never showed favoritism, but an investigation by PBS concluded women felt coerced into sexual conduct, and some believe they faced retaliation.
(Source: Cynopsis)

A federal judge tossed presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard’s lawsuit against Google over a several-hour suspension of her Google Ads account. While Gabbard claimed Google violated her right to free speech, Google countered that the suit should be dismissed since it isn’t the government, and therefore should not be bound by the First Amendment’s prohibition on censoring political speech. (Google also said the suspension occurred because its automated anti-fraud system flagged unusual activity, not for any reason tied to politics.) Noted U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson, “Google is not now, nor (to the Court’s knowledge) has it ever been, an arm of the United States government.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Sci-fi series The Rook did not make it to season two on Starz. Rook’s first season averaged 225,000 total viewers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Media fund New Slate Ventures optioned the rights to Den of Thieves, from journalist James B. Stewart. Screenwriter Terence Winter is set to adapt the 1992 book about the insider trading scandal that downed Drexel Burham into a limited series. Fudge and Alexandra Milchan will produce.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Karin Gist (mixed-ish) inked a new overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, as she launches her new production company, The Gist Of It Productions. Claire Brown will serve as EVP of Production and Development. “Karin is a rock star creator and showrunner who gives every project her whole heart, and when she told us she wanted to form The Gist of It with Claire and expand her development efforts even further, we couldn’t get the words ‘yes please’ out quickly enough,” said Carolyn Cassidy, President of Creative Affairs for 20th.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Disney+ greenlit Parenting Without Borders (wt), a docu-series starring and exec produced by Jessica Alba, reports Deadline. Travel show will follow Alba as she explored parenting beliefs and practices around the world.
(Source: Cynopsis)

New series Stargirl premieres on DC Universe on Monday, May 11, then makes its linear debut on The CW on Tuesday, May 12 at 9p. Also on The CW, the seventh and final season of The 100 launches Wednesday, May 20 at 8p, and In the Dark starts season two on Thursday, May 28 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season two of soccer docu-series Sunderland ‘Til I Die is set to drop on Netflix on April 1. The six-episode second run of the show will focus on the 2018-19 season of Sunderland FC.
(Source: Cynopsis)

MTV’s The Challenger: Total Madness kicks off Wednesday, April 1 at 8p. The reality show’s 35th season follows The Challenge: Total Madness, which scored the franchise’s highest premiere in six years.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TLC’s DRAGNIFICENT! settles into its regular timeslot on Monday, April 20 at 10p, after its debut on Sunday, April 19 at 11p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

March premieres on Snap include season three of Endless Summer on Saturday, March 7; the series debut of mockumentary Get Money on Friday, March 20; and the series premiere of docu-series Nikita Unfiltered, following transgender beauty mogul Nikita Dragun, on Saturday, March 21.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season two of twisty drama Blood starts rolling out on Acorn TV on Monday, March 9.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Court TV is covering the murder trial of Robert Durst, the subject of HBO doc Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. It’s the second Durst murder trial to be covered by the net – the original Court TV covered Durst’s 2003 trial for murdering and dismembering a neighbor, a crime for which he was acquitted.
(Source: Cynopsis)

FX has acquired its first documentary feature film, AKA Jane Roe. Doc tells the story of Norma McCorvey, the “Jane Roe” in the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on abortion rights. AKA Jane Roe will premiere Friday, May 22 at 9p on FX and be available the next day on FX on Hulu.
(Source: Cynopsis)

American Masters showcases stories of little-known American heroines with Unladylike2020, a multimedia series launching in honor of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. Narrated by Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) and Lorraine Toussaint (Selma), American Masters – Unladylike2020 spotlights 26 diverse changemakers in documentary shorts premiering Wednesdays, beginning March 4 through August 26, Women’s Equality Day, on the American Masters YouTube Channel. An hour-long American Masters – Unladylike2020 special will premiere as part of PBS’ summer-long celebration of female trailblazers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

NBC’s Fourth Annual Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina airs Sunday, April 5 at 12:30p. John O’Hurley and David Frei return to co-host the canine competition.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TNT and TBS are marking International Women’s Day on March 8 with the Yes She Did campaign, a multi-platform day-long activation utilizing a curated programming lineup that starts at 6a with a block of Friends episodes.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Kim Fields (Facts of Life) landed a lead role opposite Wanda Sykes and Mike Epps in Netflix comedy The Upshaws…Christopher Lloyd (Taxi) will guest on an episode of CBS’s NCIS, as a 95-year-old former Navy sailor…Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek) has joined the season two cast of Epix drama Pennyworth…Starz announced Hailey Gilgore (The Village) has been cast in Power Book III: Raising Kanan …Shannyn Sossamon (Wayward Pines) is onboard Fox drama pilot The Cleaning Lady, based on the Argentinian series…Emayatzy (Ballers) has been cast in NBC ensemble drama pilot At That Age.
(Source: Cynopsis)

On a new night and time – Friday at 8p –Shark Tank posted ABC’s best performance in the hour with entertainment programming in nearly 2 ½ years, with 5.0 million viewers, according to Nielsen Live+3 numbers in. Among A18-49 the show delivered a rating of 0.9/6, the best in 16 months.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The current season of Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible has reached over 20 million viewers and is on track to be the series’ highest-rated since 2013, with premieres growing ratings 45% versus year-ago for P25-54 in its Thursday timeslot.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Girl From The North Country is opening on Thursday March 5, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/girl-north-from-the-country/

The Lehman Trilogy is starting previews on Saturday March 7, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/lehman-trilogy/

Mrs. Doubtfire is starting previews on Monday March 9, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/mrs-doubtfire/

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show is starting previews on Tuesday March 10, 2020
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/riverdance-25th-anniversary-show/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 2/27/20)
A&E: Live PD: Most Wanted (Premiere) at 9pm
ANIMAL PLANET: Yukon Men: On The Edge (Premiere) at 8pm
MTV: Jersey Shore Family Vacation (Premiere) at 8pm
TLC: Dr. Pimple Popper (Finale) at 8pm
TLC: My Feet Are Killing Me (Finale) at 10pm

ABC News yanked veteran correspondent David Wright from the air after he was recorded on a Project Veritas video describing himself a socialist, and saying, “Our bosses don’t see an upside in doing the job that we’re supposed to do, which is to speak truth to power and hold people to account.” Wright has been suspended, “and to avoid any possible appearance of bias, he will be reassigned away from political coverage when he returns,” said ABC News. Conservative organization Project Veritas is known for secretly recording media targets.
(Source: Cynopsis)

truTV’s Impractical Jokers hit the big screen in a big way. Impractical Jokers: The Movie, an extension of the series, had a debut weekend total of $2.61 million and a per screen average of $7302 at 357 theaters. The film, directed by Chris Henchy(Daddy’s Home) and produced by Funny Or Die, will expand to over 1800 screens nationwide and additional markets including Canada in its second weekend. “We’ve always known the power of the Impractical Jokers fan base but this is more than we could have dreamed of for truTV’s first theatrical release,” said Brett Weitz, General Manager for TNT, TBS, & truTV. “In its eighth season on the small screen the Impractical Jokers’ audience and momentum has continued to build and now they’ve proven that the sky’s the limit for this comedy franchise.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

NBC moved the launch of new drama Council of Dads to Tuesday, March 24 at 10p, immediately following the season finale of This Is Us. The show, originally set to debut March 10, will slip into its new timeslot beginning Thursday, April 30 at 8p. New Amsterdam will air March 10 and 17 in its normal 10p timeslot.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Nickelodeon veteran Cyma Zarghami announced the launch of MiMO Studio, a full-service production and consultancy focused on kids and family content. The New York-based studio will create content via multiple formats. “MiMO will challenge the typical content format and create franchise-potential properties that will engage kids and their families in deeper and more relevant ways,” said Zarghami. “MiMO Studio will be at the forefront of building a new franchise model for kids’ content in what is seeming more and more like a post-broadcast world.” MiMO’s first live-action movie, based on author Matt Christopher’s children’s book “The Kid Who Only Hit Homers,” began production earlier this month.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Amazon Studios is teaming with Macro Television Studios to develop a TV adaptation of 1987 sci-fi novel Dawn from Ava DuVernay’s Array Filmworks. Creator Victoria Mahoney (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) will adapt and direct the pilot.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BET+ picked up First Wives Club for a second season. “First Wives Club has been hugely successful on BET+, served as one of our signature originals at launch and helped us quickly become the largest African American focused SVOD service,” said BET+ GM Devin Griffin. “Our subscribers loved season one and are eagerly awaiting season two.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

ATX Television Festival is collaborating with Alamo Drafthouse to expand its footprint beyond Austin with the new event series, “TV at the Alamo presented by ATX,” showcasing screenings and panels in cities across the US. Events will feature content and personalities from major networks including AMC, The CW and more.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season two of Shudder’s horror anthology series Creepshow will premiere on AMC ahead of its digital debut. “There’s absolute crossover between the brand and the content on some of our linear channels and OTT services,” said AMC Networks COO Ed Carroll during an investor call. “We think that [Creepshow] will be successful on AMC but will also then build audiences for the season two launch back on Shudder.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Comedy dance competition The Funny Dance Show premieres on E! on Wednesday, March 11 art 10:30p, part of the net’s new “Laughter Hours” programming block. The series, based on Justine Marino and Heidi Heaslet’s live show developed at The World Famous Comedy Store, shows what happens when sometimes rhythmically challenged comedians become dancing competitors.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Disappearing ships, underwater anomalies and the Loch Ness Monster are some of the topics explored in new Science Channel series Mysteries of the Deep, launching Thursday, April 2 at 10p. Jeremy Wade (River Monsters) hosts.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta returns Saturday, March 21 at 8p. Celebrity guests this go-round include Jessa Duggar Seewald (Counting On), country music duo Maddie & Tae, and Brandi Williams (Bring It On).
(Source: Cynopsis)

Dreamscape Media announced the release of a new multiformat, education series on the opioid crisis, including Do No Harm: The Opioid Epidemic, the Turner Publishing title now available on audiobook through Dreamscape Media. Series also includes a feature documentary film of the same name, and The Prescription Opioid and Heroin Crisis: An Epidemic Of Addiction, a taped lecture.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Top Boy has been picked up for a fourth season on Netflix. The UK gang drama started life on Channel 4, moving to the streamer for its third season.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Meteorologist Jordan Steele will serve as weekday host for Quibi’s new show, Weather Today, launching on April 6 from The Weather Channel. The three-to-five-minute show will air seven days a week and feature the most important weather stories of the day, as well as a national forecast.
(Source: Cynopsis)

It’ll take three episodes for Bravo to cover the season ten reunion of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, as Andy Cohen hosts a conversation covering sex, cheating, eating disorders and more. First of three Wednesday-at-8p sessions airs March 4.
(Source: Cynopsis)

One week after the season finale of Netflix dating show Love Is Blind, the show’s couples will reunite on a March 5 reunion episode. In the “dating experiment” hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, couples are paired off on dates, then followed after blind proposals.
(Source: Cynopsis)

J Balvin, Bad Bunny, Banda MS, Julieta Venegas, Karol G, Christian Nodal, Zoé, Los Angeles Azules and Cazzu lead the list of artists set to perform at the inaugural Spotify Awards on Thursday, March 5 at 9p on Telemundo and Universo. Telemundo will also feature coverage of the event across its platforms, including a one-hour live stream from the “Green Carpet.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

The DPAA’s 2020 Video Everywhere Summit will be held Tuesday, October 13 at NYC’s Pier Sixty on Manhattan’s Hudson waterfront. The event will once again be part of New York Digital Signage Week (October 12-16).
(Source: Cynopsis)

Macaulay Culkin is onboard season ten of FX anthology series American Horror Story, joining Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters. Ryan Murphy dropped the news on Instagram…Ryan Phillippe (Cruel Intentions) has been cast as an ex-cop-turned-PI in ABC’s upcoming David E. Kelley drama, The Big Sky…Tony Hale (Veep) landed the lead in Hulu’s The Mysterious Benedict Society, based on the YA novel…Lindsy Fonseca (Nikita) and Carra Patterson (The Arrangement) will star opposite Josh Peck in Disney+’s reboot of Turner & Hooch.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season two of Epix drama Pennyworth includes new series regulars James Purefoy (The Following), Edward Hogg (Taboo), Jessye Romeo (Curfew), Ramon Tikaram (The Victim) and Harriet Slater (Faunutland and the Lost Magic)…Rick Hoffman (Suits) will recur during season five of Showtime’s Billions…Tramell Tillman (Hunters) nabbed a lead role in Apple workplace thriller Severance, reports Deadline.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Pilot news: Comedy Valley Trash got a pilot greenlight from ABC, and Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl) is set to star…Olivia Liang will star in CW pilot Kung Fu, focused on a young woman who drops out of college and finds her hometown overrun with crime and corruption…Rebecca Breeds (Pretty Little Liars) will play the title role in CBS pilot Clarice, set a year after the events of The Silence of the Lambs.
(Source: Cynopsis)

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will offer “inspirational a-ha moments, ugly cries and surprises” from The Oprah Winfrey Show in The Oprah Winfrey Show The Podcast, starting Tuesday, March 3. The show will be available on Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms.
(Source: Cynopsis)

CBS News and BET+ drew over 15 million viewers for Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate, according to Nielsen. That compares with 19.8 million for NBC/MSNBC’s record-setting knockdown in Las Vegas.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Add some syndicated shows to the list of Academy Award week winners, for the session ending February 16. Tamron Hall (1.0 Live+SD national Nielsen rating, up 11% from the week before) took viewers behind the scenes at the Hollywood event, while Live with Kelly and Ryan (2.2, up 5%) featured the program’s 9th annual “After Oscar Show” on February 10 and matched its highest rating of the season. Daily Mail TV hit a four-week high of 0.8 (up 14%).
(Source: Cynopsis)

Hallmark Channel’s “Love Ever After” programming event concluded this weekend, propelling the network to become the highest-rated entertainment cable network on weekends in February among Households and W18+. The four original premieres delivered the #1 program of the day every Saturday in February and averaged a 2.4 HH rating, 2.3 million Total Viewers, and 300,000 W25-54. The franchise made Hallmark Channel the second highest-rated and most-watched entertainment cable network in Total Day for the entire month among HHs and W18+.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Hangmen is starting previews on Friday February 28, 2020
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/hangmen/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 2/20/20)
TLC: Save My Skin (Premiere) at 11pm

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang has joined CNN as a political commentator.The former Democratic presidential candidate, who drew followers known as the Yang Gang during his campaign, ended his run last week. “I’m excited to join @CNN to help shed light on the election and the candidates’ experiences. Learned a lot these past months and am glad to contribute to the public discussion,” Yang tweeted on Wednesday.
(Source: Cynopsis)

CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell and CBS This Morning host Gayle King will anchor the February 25 Democratic candidate debate in South Carolina. Margaret Brennan, Major Garrett and Bill Whitaker will help question the presidential hopefuls. Twitter is a debate partner; the Congressional Black Caucus Institute will co-host. The event will be simulcast on BET.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Discovery, Inc. is developing a consumer products program inspired by adventurer Coyote Peterson, YouTube star and host of Animal Planet’s Coyote Peterson: Brave the Wild. Discovery will represent Peterson across all licensing categories and develop a consumer products program that extends his mission to engage the next generation of animal enthusiasts. “Coyote Peterson is a great example of Discovery talent whose personality transcends the screen and connects deeply with our passionate fans around the world,” said Carolann Dunn, VP, Consumer Products, Discovery, Inc. “Animal Planet serves animal lovers of all ages, and with Coyote we are thrilled to be able to connect with that younger audience through a line of fun, innovative and inspirational toys.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Paley Center for Media has moved out of its Beverly Hills location and into new offices in Century City. The Beverly Hills Public Library will house the center’s TV and radio archives, under a two-year lease. Three employees were let go as part of the relocation, reports Variety. “We are so proud to announce the Beverly Hills Public Library as the new home of the Paley Archive, and are incredibly grateful to the city of Beverly Hills for recognizing the historical and educational value of the Paley Archive,” said Maureen J. Reidy, the Paley Center’s President and CEO.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Entries are being accepted for the first edition of HITN TV’s ¡Tú Cuentas! Cine Youth Festival, running April 15 – May 15. The festival is designed to support emerging Latinx filmmakers. “We wanted to showcase the unique perspectives and experiences of young Latinos, and we decided the best way to do this was to give young Latinos a platform to express their perspectives,” said Michael D. Nieves, President and CEO of HITN.
(Source: Cynopsis)

HBO Max is getting in business with Real Housewives of New York City standout Bethenny Frankel. In The Big Shot with Bethenny (wt), from MGM Television, Mark Burnett and Frankel and her B Real Productions, the next generation of business moguls will compete for a chance to be second-in-command to the Skinnygirl founder.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Cosmos: Possible Worlds, hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, premieres with back-to-back episodes on Nat Geo on Monday, March 9 at 8p. Series continues the long-running story that started in 1980 on PBS, Cosmos: A Personal Journey, with Carl Sagan.
(Source: Cynopsis)

MTV and Sean “Diddy” Combs didn’t have to look far to enlist judges for their Making the Band revival. Combs’ sons Christian Combs, Quincy Brown and Justin Combs are onboard the competition series, along with a returnee, celebrity choreographer LaurieAnn Gibson. The series revival, which launched on ABC in 2000 before moving to MTV from 2002-2009, will premiere in 2020.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Fuse Media and Genius, the media company that delivers music knowledge, announced a partnership that will bring Genius’s digital content to Fuse. Genius x Fuse will premiere on March 18. Series will feature Genius’s artist-centric content, including Verified, Deconstructed, and For The Record With Rob Markman, along with other existing formats that will air under the Genius x Fuse banner. Said Fuse Media Chief Content Officer J-T Ladt, “Partnering with such a credible resonating brand like Genius allows us to continue to expand our music culture-based content offerings to our growing young audience in an impactful way.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Daily Show writer and stand-up comedian Josh Johnson is set to commence production on his first one-hour stand-up special, in Chicago. Trevor Noah Presents: Josh Johnson will be taping at The Laugh Factory on Saturday, April 4, for a 2020 premiere on Comedy Central.
(Source: Cynopsis)

History is launching a new non-fiction programming strand, “History’s Greatest Mysteries,” hosted and narrated by Laurence Fishburne (black-ish, The Matrix) that will investigate historical events and topics and the mysteries surrounding them. Slated to launch this summer, programs will offer new evidence and perspectives including never-before-released documents to the general public, personal diaries and DNA evidence. Initial projects (all working titles) include: Titanic’s Lost Evidence; The Escape of John Wilkes Booth; Roswell: The First Witness; The Final Hunt for DB Cooper; Bermuda Triangle: Expedition to the Abyss; Endurance: The Hunt for Shackleton’s Ice Ship; and Hunting Hitler’s U-Boats.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 vs. The Universe: The Movie is currently in production and set to premiere this fall, with new settings and characters from the series. Season four of Ben 10 air Sundays at 10a.
(Source: Cynopsis)

In more kids’ content news, multiplatform animated preschool brand Zoonicorn has teamed with Toonz Media Group for a development, co-production and distribution partnership that will launch 52 seven-minute episodes in 2021. The 3D CGI content will be distributed for the worldwide TV and digital marketplace by Toonz.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Lifetime gave a series order to Battlefield of Love, a docu-series centered on members of the military who fell in love with civilians they met online. “Battlefield of Love is another authentic offering in our core relationship genre,” said Gena McCarthy, EVP and Head of Lifetime Unscripted. “This dating phenomenon really happens, and the series blends aspects of Army Wives with Married at First Sight, with incredibly high stakes and a legitimate ticking clock.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Nickelodeon renewed Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Top Elf and The Casagrandes for second seasons, as well as 10 more episodes of freshman reboot All That. Also returning to the kids’ net are Blue’s Clues & You! for season three; Blaze and the Monster Machines and Bubble Guppies for sixth seasons; and PAW Patrol for season eight.
(Source: Cynopsis)

New shows coming to Nick include action-adventure series The Astronauts, taking off this summer; TV-movie The Loud House: A Very Loud Christmas!; animated series Big Nate; Henry Danger spin-off Danger Force, premiering Saturday, March 28; Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan, bowing Saturday, February 29; and prequel Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Aspiring food truck owners compete for big-money opportunities in a new season of Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race: Gold Coast, launching Thursday, March 26 at 9p. First stop: Los Angeles.
(Source: Cynopsis)

In Smithsonian Channel’s Humboldt: Epic Explorer, historian Andrea Wulf follows the footsteps of German scientist Alexander von Humboldt, who over 200 years ago made revolutionary discoveries about the natural world during travels across the South American continent. Docu-drama launches Wednesday, March 25 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Chris Anderson and criminal defense attorney Fatima Silva team up again for a third season of Reasonable Doubt, helping families who are convinced that their loved ones were wrongfully convicted of murder. Series returns to Investigation Discovery on Tuesday, March 3 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Also on ID, the net is teaming with the New York Post for a pair of true crime shows. Torn From the Headlines: New York Post Reports takes viewers “into some of the most inconceivable crimes of all time,” starting Monday, March 16 at 10p. New York Post Reports: Off the Record will be available on IDGO on March 30. “When you think of New York, there’s great pizza, Broadway … and the New York Post. Their headlines are infamous, and their crime reporting is what investigative reporting is all about,” said Henry Schleiff, Group President of Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel and Destination America.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Escapade Media has sold its new TV series, Crash Test World, to Discovery for the US and Canada. Hosted by Kari Byron (MythBusters), series takes viewers on a journey to explore how history, technology, culture and people come together to make the world a better place. Andrew Zimmern’s Intuitive Content is producing the 6-parter.
(Source: Cynopsis)

My Perfect Landing jumps to Canada’s Family Channel on Sunday, March 1 at 11:30a. Drama stars real-life gymnast Morgan Wigle as a gymnast who moves to a new city when her parents get an opportunity to start their own gymnastics club.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Paradise Lost drops Monday, April 13, ad-free on Spectrum Original’s on-demand platform. Gothic mystery series set in small-town Mississippi stars Josh Hartnett as a prodigal son returning to his hometown.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Women’s lifestyle site Popsugar is expanding its experiential IP with a one-day “Grounded” fitness and wellness event on Saturday, March 7 at Goya Studios LA to kick off International Women’s Day. The event is inspired by the media brand’s two most popular villages, fitness and wellness.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Fox News will host a town hall with Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar on Thursday, February 27, moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. It’s FNC’s eighth town hall of the election season, and second with Klobucar.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Sundance Now nabbed US rights to six-part Australian drama series The Secrets She Keeps from DCD Rights. Based on the novel by Michael Robotham, the Lingo Pictures Production is written by Sarah Walker (All Saints) and Jonathan Gavin (Offspring) and stars Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey), Jessica de Gouw (The Crown), and Michael Dorman (Patriot). Domestic noir thriller will make its exclusive US premiere on the streamer in 2020.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Paley Center for Media added a lineup of new programs to its spring calendar. Among the offerings: Girls Trip & First Wives Club: An Evening with Creative Powerhouse Tracy Oliver on Thursday, April 9; 50 Years of PBS on Monday, May 4; and Lessons in Leadership: A Candid Conversation with Jeff Weiner, LinkedIn CEO, and his father, Bruce Weiner, on Wednesday, April 29. Events take place at the center’s NYC location.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The third annual Disney Channel Fan Fest kicks off at at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California, on Saturday, May 9. The event will also expand to Lake Buena Vista, Florida, during the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival at Walt Disney World Resort over three weekends (May 16-17, May 23-24 and May 30-31).
(Source: Cynopsis)

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues alums Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd will re-team as stars of MRC Television dark comedy The Shrink Next Door, based on the podcast…Annaleigh Ashford (Masters of Sex) landed the female lead in CBS comedy pilot B Positive. Ashford is also co-starring as Paula Jones in FX’s Impeachment: American Horror Story…Odessa Young (Assassination Nation) and Ella Rumpf (Raw) have boarded HBO Max’s Tokyo Vice…Patina Miller (Madam Secretary) has joined Starz’ Power prequel Power Book III: Raising Kanan.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY 
West Side Story is opening on Thursday February 20, 2020
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/west-side-story/

The Minutes starts previews on Tuesday February 25, 2020
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/minutes/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 2/13/20)
ID: Man With a Van (Premiere) at 9pm
OXYGEN: Killer Couples (Premiere) at 8pm
OXYGEN: In Ice Cold Blood (Premiere) at 9pm
PARAMOUNT NETWORK: Wife Swap (Premiere) at 9pm
A&E: Alaska PD (Finale) at 9pm

Entertainment Studios has closed on the acquisition of 11 broadcast television stations for $305 million – and it looks like they’re just getting warmed up. “Over the past six months we’ve invested nearly $500 million to acquire best-in-class, top-tier broadcast network affiliates,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Entertainment Studios/Allen Media Group. “We plan to invest approximately ten billion dollars to acquire ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox television stations over the next three years with the goal of being one of the largest broadcast television groups in America.” The most recent acquisition of 11 stations, serving nine US markets, was from USA Television.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Epix renewed Godfather of Harlem, starring Forest Whitaker, for a 10-episode second season. Drama from ABC Signature Studios tells a story inspired by infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Nickelodeon parent ViacomCBS released a study that found that 72% of kids globally play a role in household decisions, with 60% of parents saying that when watching TV together, their child usually decides what to watch. In “Are We There Yet?: Today’s Parents, Tomorrow’s Kids,” 58% of parents surveyed said they use TV or screen time to reward good behavior from their children, and 84% said watching TV together is good for family bonding.
(Source: Cynopsis)

It’s not just about funny cat videos – a study from Whistle Wise found that millennial and Gen Z audiences actively seek out inspirational content online, too. Six percent of inspiration seekers find their desired content on YouTube, which is 181% more than Amazon Prime Video, 95% more than cable TV, and 19% more than Netflix, according to the “Capturing More Than Just Their Impressions” report.
(Source: Cynopsis)

News wire Reuters has launched a fact checking unit aimed at flagging misinformation on social media, in partnership with Facebook’s Third Party Fact-Checking Program. The unit will verify content posted on Facebook and Instagram and identify media that is false or misleading. “It’s a growing issue that impacts society daily and it’s a responsibility for news organizations and platforms to halt the spread of false news,” said Jess April, Director of Global Partnerships, Reuters. “Reuters has a superior track record in sourcing, verifying and clearing user-generated content for distribution to thousands of clients globally and we are best placed in using our in-house expertise to fact check social media content.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

In related news, Twitter is teaming with the US Census Bureau to reduce the spread of misinformation around the 2020 population count, with the launch of a new tool. When someone searches for certain keywords associated with the Census, a prompt will direct them to the official Census site, where they’ll get accurate info. It’s not Twitter’s first Census dance – the social networking service also partnered with the bureau in November to host training at TwitterDC that educated civil society partners about the platform’s civic integrity policies and best practice content tactics.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Winners of the 2020 Kidscreen Awards were announced in Miami, with shows from Netflix, Amazon, Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop and more taking home trophies.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Peach Maria Productions is producing GameMaster, a new esports reality show hosted by Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) featuring 12 amateur contestants living in the same house as they compete for a $100,000 prize. Nine-parter is expected to debut on a streaming service (TBD) in spring 2020.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Stephanie Allain, co-producer of the 2020 Academy Awards, inked a multi-year first-look deal at Warner Horizon Scripted Television. Allain will develop new scripted programming for cable and broadcast networks and streaming services.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Netflix nabbed a docu-series about young tennis star Naomi Osaka from Uninterrupted and Film 45. “It won’t look like a traditional sports documentary, and I’m so excited to share it with everyone,” said Osaka of the so-far-untitled series.
(Source: Cynopsis)

New series Three Busy Debras and Beef House debut on Adult Swim on Sunday, March 29 at midnight and 12:15, respectively. Three Busy Debras follows three women named Debra in the affluent suburb of Lemoncurd, while Beef House centers on five men living under one roof.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Limited series The Third Day makes its HBO debut on Monday, May 11, with six stand-alone, but interconnected episodes divided between “Summer” and “Winter.” Jude Law (The New Pope) stars in “Summer” as a man drawn to a mysterious island off the British Coast, while Naomi Harris (Moonlight) plays a strong-willed outsider who comes to the island in “Winter.” An immersive theater event will take place midway through the show’s run.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TLC’s Little People, Big World returns on Tuesday, March 31 at 9p. For those who can’t get enough of the Roloffs, digital series Little People Big World: Inside the Episode will be available on the TLC GO app each Tuesday after the regular episode premiere.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Some of the most shocking cases of espionage in the last 50 years are explored in Smithsonian Channel’s eight-episode Spy Wars with Damian Lewis, premiering Sunday, March 22 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Kings of confection Buddy Valastro (Cake Boss) and Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes) face off again in season two of Food Network’s Buddy vs. Duff, starting Sunday, March 15 at 9p. Viewers needing a refresher on the rivalry can check out special Buddy vs. Duff: Road to Rematch at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season 12 of The Real Housewives of New York City premieres on Bravo Thursday, April 2 at 9p. Dropping into the drama this go-round is an “edgy downtown girl [who] has the ladies clutching their pearls.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

NBC set season premiere dates for three alternative series. Little Big Shots returns “in a completely reimagined season” on Sunday, March 1 at 8p, with a special preview on Monday, February 24 at 10p after the season debut of The Voice. The Wall is back Sunday, March 15 at 7p, with Chris Hardwick returning as host, and Songland starts season two on Monday, April 13 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Pete Davidson’s (SNL) first stand-up comedy special for Netflix, Pete Davidson: Alive From New York, drops on the streamer on Tuesday, February 25.
(Source: Cynopsis)

CuriosityStream has teamed with Gedeon Programmes and the Archaeological Park of Pompeii for documentary Pompeii: Disaster Street, premiering Thursday, March 19. The film follows archaeologists over 10 months as they excavate the site of Vesuvius’s eruption, revealing evidence of daily life, works of art, mythical figures, and human remains buried for 2000 years.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Discovery special #TeamPluto focuses on the controversy surrounding Pluto, once considered the ninth planet in the solar system, but reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006. YouTube host Nick Uha joins astronomers, scientists and historians for the show, premiering at 11p on Tuesday, February 18, the 90th anniversary of Pluto’s discovery.
(Source: Cynopsis)

ET is on location in London for Royal Revolution: Harry & Meghan On Their Own, a special episode of the newsmag airing Monday February 17 (check local listings). ET is also on the ground in Canada, to offer a look and the new life of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s new life.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) landed the lead in upcoming Disney+ series The Mighty Ducks, based on the ‘90s movie franchise. Brady Noon (Good Boys) will play her son…Look for Dave Annable to guest on an episode of NBC’s This Is Us this season. Annable starred on Fox’s Red Band Society, where This Is Us’ Mandy Moore recurred as his character’s former fiancée…John Carroll Lynch (American Horror Story) will co-star in upcoming ABC procedural thriller The Big Sky…John Corbett (Northern Exposure) joins Katey Sagal in ABC drama pilot Rebel, inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Tuesday’s special live episode of ABC’s The Conners shot up over its last original telecast two weeks ago by 19% in total viewers (6.3 million vs. 5.3 million) to deliver its most-watched telecast this season. The episode, airing during the New Hampshire primary, beat its most-recent original by 22% in A18-49 (1.1/6 vs. 0.9/5).
(Source: Cynopsis)

The return of the XFL was a winner, with week one football games averaging over 3.1 million viewers across Fox, ABC and ESPN. Fox’s Tampa Bay/New York competition on Sunday was the weekend’s highest scorer, Nielsen-wise, delivering 3.4 million viewers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Six is starting previews on Thursday February 13, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/six/

David Byrne’s American Utopia is closing on Sunday February 16, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/david-byrnes-american-utopia/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 2/6/20)
CBS: Tommy (Premiere) at 10pm
CW: Katy Keene (Premiere) at 8pm
HGTV: Hot Properties: San Diego (Premiere) at 10pm
USA: The Sinner (Premiere) at 9pm
USA: Briarpatch (Premiere) at 10pm
WE TV: Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars (Premiere) at 10pm
ID: Dead of Winter (Finale) at 9pm

Say hello to Warner Max, a new feature film production arm for HBO Max. The joint venture between Warner Bros. Pictures Group and HBO Max will launch in May to ensure the forthcoming streaming platform has a steady stream of original films, with an initial target of eight to 10 per year. New venture will be overseen by HBO Max’s chief content officer Kevin Reilly and Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich, who will share responsibility for green-lighting content.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Chock up more YouTube records for the Biebs. The premiere episode of Justin Bieber: Seasons docuseries is YouTube Originals’ most-watched debut episode ever during the first week, according to the platform. Bieber also is the first artist to reach 50 million subscribers on his YouTube artist channel, and is the most-subscribed artist on YT. Seasons premiere ep drew 32.65 million viewers reaching 97 countries. That audience handily beat out the season 2 premiere of Liza on Demand (25.4 million) and Cobra Kai S2 (21 million). The doc is produced by Bieber Time Films, SB Projects and OBB Pictures.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, Hallie Jackson, Noticias Telemundo’s Vanessa Hauc and the Nevada Independent’s Jon Ralston will moderate the Democratic debate in Las Vegas on February 19. Sponsored by NBC News and MSNBC, the debate precedes the Nevada caucuses by three days and is the first under new criteria put in place by the DNC.
(Source: Cynopsis)

E! once again set up headquarters at Spring Studios—the official home of New York Fashion Week—to bring viewers an exclusive and inside look at one of the year’s biggest fashion events. Multiplatform coverage begins this week including exclusive fittings, backstage interviews and collection walk-throughs with Lisa Rinna, Delilah and Amelia Hamlin, Rihanna, Kendall Jenner, Serena Williams, Billy Porter and Brandon Maxwell.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Jamie Foxx will receive the Excellence in Arts Awards at the Black Film Festival Honors, February 23 in LA. Others being feted at the event are Louis Gossett Jr., Lena Waithe, Cynthia Erivo and HBO series The Wire.
(Source: Cynopsis)

First Ladies, starring and exec-produced by Viola Davis, is a go at Showtime. The net gave a series order to the first season of the drama, which focuses on impactful First Ladies and will star Davis Michelle Obama. Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford also will be featured in season one. From Lionsgate Television, series also will be exec-produced by Julius Tennon, Cathy Schulman (Crash, Five Feet Apart), Jeff Gaspin (Rhythm + Flow, L.A.’s Finest), Brad Kaplan (Mr. Church) and author Aaron Cooley.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Amazon Studios acquired The Dark of the Night, based on the upcoming third novel in Meg Gardiner’s UNSUB series, and will develop it as a drama series. Book series features a young FBI agent pursuing other UNSUBs, aka Unknown Subjects, the FBI’s name for an unknown serial killer.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Stanley Tucci will traverse Italy on a culinary adventure in upcoming CNN original series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. Four-part series, from Three Identical Strangers and Raw Television, will see Tucci travel to different regions as he delves into the history of cuisine and culture.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Writer/producer Wellesley Wild (Family Guy) inked an exclusive, multiyear deal with Warner Bros. Animation—the studio’s first major producer. Wild’s overall deal will see him develop, write and produce new animated projects for adult, kids and family audiences, and also encompasses the other scripted programming divisions of the Warner Bros. Television Group.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Production is underway on season 2 of Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, slated to debut on Disney+ in late 2020. This go-round, East High drama students prepare to perform Beauty & The Beast as their spring musical. Series is created and exec-produced by Tim Federle (Ferdinand).
(Source: Cynopsis)

Broadway Video’s Above Average Productions and film/TV producer M. Blair Breard are teaming for a premium scripted content production company. Breard continue to develop projects independently.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Next project for Left Bank, producer of The Crown, is a four-part adaptation of Robert Harris’ novel The Fear Index, for British broadcaster Sky. Set at a fictional hedge fund in Geneva, story follows an American expat physicist, who stays out of the public spotlight but in private sits atop a potent cocktail of in AI and hedge funds.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The US division of Yellow Bird, a joint venture of Bunim/Murray Productions, is adapting Krystal Sutherland’s novel A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares into a series. Story centers on a 17-year old girl who believes everyone in her family has been cursed with a debilitating phobia that will ultimately kill them.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The final, frenetic months before Marilyn Monroe’s death in 1962 are the centerpiece of 101 Studios and Seven Seas Films series The Last Days Of Marilyn Monroe, adapted from Keith Badman’s book The Final Years Of Marilyn Monroe: The Shocking True Story.
(Source: Cynopsis)

UK’s House Productions optioned screen rights to Jack Fairweather’s The Volunteer, the true story of a covert operative who volunteered to be captured and taken to Nazi death camp Auschwitz in order to infiltrate the camp, organize a resistance and ultimately attack the Nazi forces.
(Source: Cynopsis)

ID returns The Lake Erie Murders, where something sinister lurks in the waters, for season 2 on Sunday, February 9 at 10p. Series follows murders and mysteries in the Great Lake region.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The third season of Acorn TV’s Agatha Raisin premieres Monday, February 10, with three 90-minute episodes on tap. “She’s so supremely confident, and sometimes doesn’t really give a s**t about how other people feel really,” is how star Ashley Jensen describes the titular character. “I think I’m a bit more worried about other people’s feelings than she is. It’s quite freeing to play a character like that, but if she came into the room I think I’d just let her control the room. I can hold my own, but I’m not competing with that!”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Married at First Sight spinoff Bride & Prejudice: Forbidden Love is moving from FYI to sister net Lifetime for its second season. Bowing Wednesday, February 26 at 10p, season 2 again features Pastor Cal Roberson helping couples whose friends and families don’t approve of their relationships.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The season five premiere of Total Bellas muscles back to E! on Thursday, April 6 at 10p. Season five features Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Daniel Bryan and Artem Chigventsev, as a romantic proposal is planned and twin pregnancies are revealed.
(Source: Cynopsis)

IMDb TV, the Amazon-owned free, ad-supported streamer, acquired rights to Desperate Housewives and more than 20 additional scripted shows controlled by Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer & International division. Additional content includes My So-Called Life, White Collar and The Glades. Many of the shows will have their free streaming exclusives on IMDb.
(Source: Cynopsis)

CBS Sports Network celebrates Black History Month with the premiere of Jacksonville U: Can Do! on Sunday, February 9 at 7p. One-hour doc chronicles Jacksonville University’s memorable NCAA Tournament run led by All-American Artis Gilmore and Head Coach Joe Williams, which took place 50 years ago this March.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Monday, February 10 episode of Nat Geo’s Brain Games will feature actor/musician Jack Black and his Tenacious D bandmate Kyle Gass learning how music affects the brain. Among highlights, Black will test his brain power in the Gauntlet, and then be joined by singer/songwriter Meghan Trainor for an improvised jam session.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Beginning Tuesday, February 11, ABC spices things up with Valentine’s Day-themed eps of comedies including Modern Family visiting the city of love, Paris; Tommy Lee appearing on The Goldbergs; and Tyler Cameron, formerly of The Bachelorette, guesting on Single Parents. The net will air Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Valentine on Friday, February 14.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Cinelatino is celebrating the month of love with a lineup of box-office romcoms, beginning with La Boda de Valentina on Sunday, February 9, at 9p and concluding February 16 with Camino a Marte.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Lior Raz (Fauda), co-creator and exec producer of Netflix’s Hit and Run, will also headline the upcoming series. He joins female lead Sanaa Lathan (The Affair), Kaelen Ohm (Queen of Spades), Moran Rosenblatt (Fauda), and Gregg Henry (Scandal); Gal Toren (Para Aduma) guest stars… Also at Netflix, Carmel Laniado (Doolittle) joined the second season of The Witcher in a supporting role, and Jennifer Esposito is set for a lead role opposite Julia Garner and Anna Chlumsky in Inventing Anna. Additionally, Zach Gilford (The Purge: Anarchy), Kate Siegel (The Haunting of Hill House) and Hamish Linklater (Legion) will topline Midnight Mass, a seven-ep Netflix horror series.
(Source: Cynopsis)

In a recasting, O’Shea Jackson Jr. is in as the lead of Apple’s basketball-themed drama Swagger… Medalion Rahimi, who recurred on CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles since last season, has been upped to series regular… West Duchovny scored a series regular gig opposite Jordana Spiro and Josh Andrés Rivera in HBo Max’s Vegas High… The CW’s Superman & Lois cast the iconic couple’s sons, with Jordan Elsass and Alexander Garfin joining the series.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Girl From The North Country is starting previews on Friday February 7, 2020.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/girl-north-from-the-country/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 1/23/20)
ABC: Station 19 (Premiere) at 8pm
AXS TV: The Very VERY Best of the 70’s (Premiere) at 8:30pm
COURT TV: OJ25 (Premiere) at 9pm
FOX: Outmatched (Premiere) at 8:30pm
FREEFORM: The Bold Type (Premiere) at 9pm
HISTORY: Swamp People (Premiere) at 9pm
REELZ: Inside The Mind of a Serial Killer (Premiere) at 8pm
NBC: Perfect Harmony (Finale) at 9:30pm
OXYGEN: An Unexpected Killer (Finale) at 8pm

Bill Abbott, President and CEO of Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media Family Networks, is leaving the company after 11 years, effective tomorrow. “I want to thank Bill for his many years of success and contributions to Crown Media and wish him continued success,” said Mike Perry, President and CEO of Hallmark Cards, which owns Crown Media. While no reason was given for the exit of Abbott, who saw Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas” programming propel the network up the ratings chart, last month, Hallmark drew criticism for pulling a Zola.com ad featuring a same-sex couple. Days later, Perry issued an apology and reversed the decision. Perry said he will begin a search for Abbott’s replacement. “I have tremendous confidence in the Crown Media management team,” Perry added. “In a time when there is immense competition among television networks and streaming services, it is more important than ever that we find relevant new ways to grow our business and continue to produce high quality programming that resonates with our growing audience.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

NBCUniversal is flying high over streaming service Peacock. “Peacock can transcend the generations because we’re providing content for everyone,” said Laura Molen, President of Ad Sales and Partnerships for NBCU, at NATPE. Comcast reports its 4Q19 earnings this morning; the streaming service, with a tiered subscription model, launches April 15 for Comcast Xfinity X1 and Flex subscribers, and nationwide July 15.
(Source: Cynopsis)

ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos, World News Tonight anchor and managing editor David Muir and ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis will moderate The Democratic Debate in New Hampshire on Friday, February 7 at 8p on ABC. They’ll be joined by WMUR-TV political director Adam Sexton and WMUR-TV news anchor Monica Hernandez. Muir will anchor World News Tonight from the debate hall in Manchester on Thursday, February 6, and Friday; Stephanopoulos will anchor GMA and anchor Byron Pitts will anchor Nightline from Manchester on Friday. ABC News is partnering with Apple News and Hearst Television’s WMUR-TV for the event.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Supreme Court refused to hear Facebook’s appeal of a lower court ruling that allows Illinois residents to sue the social media giant. Facebook is accused of violating the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act with its facial-recognition software. Facebook argues that the lawsuit should be dismissed since Illinois residents weren’t harmed by its photo-tagging function.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard is suing Hillary Clinton for defamation, citing the former presidential candidate’s saying in October, on the podcast Campaign HQ, that a candidate assumed to be Gabbard is “the favorite of the Russians” and being groomed to be a third-party candidate. Gabbard “has seen her political and personal reputation smeared and her candidacy intentionally damaged by Clinton’s malicious and demonstrably false remarks,” said her lawyer. Gabbard is seeking $50 million.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Producers and entrepreneurs L.C. Crowley and Brandon Barr, along with animator and VFX artist Grzegorz Jonkajtys, announced the launch of Trioscope Studios, dedicated to next-generation enhanced hybrid animation. The LA- based studio will be developing original dramatic content as well as adapting and producing third party intellectual property. Crowley will serve as CEO with Barr as Chief Content Officer and Jonkajtys as Chief Creative Officer. Joining them is Brian Lavin, SVP of Development.
(Source: Cynopsis)

ABC gave a pilot order to Harlem’s Kitchen, an ensemble family drama set in a restaurant in Harlem. Project comes from writer Zahir McGhee (For the People), Mandeville Television and ABC Studios.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TNT has put into development Liars Club, reports Deadline. The dramedy/thriller about a woman living two very different lives comes from Amy Rutberg (Daredevil), Paul Giamatti and Dan Carey’s Touchy Feely Films, Christopher Silber (NCIS: New Orleans) and CBS Television Studios.
(Source: Cynopsis)

In development at Amazon is a series based on James Patterson’s best-selling Alex Cross novels. Project comes from Amazon Studios, Paramount Television Studios and Skydance Television.
(Source: Cynopsis)

ITV Studios has sold a range of scripted content to the US. Brassic, Sky’s highest-rating comedy in seven years, has been acquired by Hulu; Gold Digger, a character-driven relationship thriller, is headed to Acorn TV; and new comedy drama The Trouble with Maggie Cole, which delves into what happens when idle gossip escalates out of control, has been picked up by PBS Distribution. ITV has also teamed with BritBox North America to co-produce the up-coming six-part mystery series McDonald & Dodds, about a pair of mismatched police detectives.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Star Wars: The Clone Wars returns for its final 12 episodes on Disney+ on Friday, February 21.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Strange email messages following the disappearance of Christopher Smith led to the revelation that his business partner, Edward Shin, had murdered him, then covered it up. A two-hour 20/20 broadcast on Friday January 24 at 9p, and multipart podcast, tell the story of how authorities connected the dots to get Shin sent to prison for life. Podcast starts Thursday, February 27, with new episodes posting every Thursday.
(Source: Cynopsis)

She’s the boss: Judith Light (Transparent) will be honored with the Excellence in Media Award at the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards on March 19 in NYC. Lilly Singh, openly bisexual executive producer and host of NBC’s A Little Late with Lilly Singh, will serve as host of the Awards; Ryan Murphy will receive the Vito Russo Award.
(Source: Cynopsis)

On the series finale of ID’s Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, Detective Kenda is called in to investigate a triple homicide and discovers one of his most personally brutal murders to date. Titled “The End,” the episode airs Wednesday, January 29 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The premiere of Paramount Network’s Army medic drama 68 Whiskey delivered 2 million viewers in Live+3 Nielsens, making it the most-watched cable drama series debut since November 2018.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Tuesday debut of Univision’s Rubí reached nearly 3 million Total Viewers 2+ who tuned in to all or part of the one-hour premiere. Rubi averaged 1.7 million Total Viewers 2+, 749,000 A18-49 and 256,000 A18-34. On Sunday, the second telecast of Univision reality series Mira Quien Baila All Stars averaged 1.9 million total viewers 2+, 679,000 A18-49 and 257,000 A18-34.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The January 17 episode of WE tv spin-off After Lockup: Life After Lockup was the highest performing episode for the series among A5-54 and total viewers, and also achieved season high ratings across all key demos, including W18-49, W25-54, A25-54 and total viewers. The most recent episode garnered more than 1.3 million viewers in Nielsen Live+3 ratings and also grew its ratings across all key demos.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Nickelodeon’s animated series It’s Pony was the net’s biggest animated series launch since 2018’s The Adventures of Kid Danger, posting double-digit gains over last year with Kids 2-11 (2.1/453,000, up +24%) and Kids 6-11 (1.9/250,000, +27%).

In syndication news, freshman The Kelly Clarkson Show climbed 20% in the target W25-54 demo the week of January 6 and extended its winning streak among the season’s newcomers to 18 weeks, despite being one of the shows negatively affected by coverage in the aftermath of Iran’s missile strike on US bases in Iraq. Meanwhile, the top entertainment magazines nabbed big rating increases following the Golden Globe Awards on January 5. Entertainment Tonight (new season high 3.0, up 20%) claimed sole possession of first place among magazines with its strongest Nielsens since the week of March 11, overtaking Inside Edition (2.9, up 16%).
(Source: Cynopsis)

The premiere of Lifetime’s Robin Roberts Presents: Stolen By My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story on Saturday ranked as the #1 telecast across television with W25-54, drawing 2 million total viewers, 776,000 A25-54 and 538,000 W25-54, according to Nielsen. It was Lifetime’s best movie premiere since Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance in May 2018.
(Source: Cynopsis)

UniMás achieved double-digit year-over-year audience growth during primetime the week of January 13 among Total Viewers 2+ (+73% to 556,000), A18-49 (+93% to 264,000) and A18-34 (+70% to 109,000), marking the thirteenth consecutive week of audience growth.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Author and actor Terry Jones, co-founder of Monty Python, died at age 77. He was diagnosed with dementia in 2015. “He was far more than one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation, he was the complete Renaissance comedian – writer, director, presenter, historian, brilliant children’s author, and the warmest, most wonderful company you could wish to have,” said Monty Python member Michael Palin.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Sheldon Cooper, former GM of Chicago’s WGN-Channel 9 and founding President of Tribune Entertainment died of obstructive pulmonary disease on January 19. He was 93. “Sheldon was a pioneer, bringing talent such as Mike Douglas and Phil Donahue to the Chicago market,” said Paul Rennie, VP and GM of WGN.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Producer/showrunner David Valentine Osper died December 30 of cancer. He was 47. Known for work on shows like Road Rules, Storage Hunters and Ancient Aliens, Osper most recently served as Vice President, Unscripted Development at MTV.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Billy Eichner (American Horror Story) will play Matt Drudge in FX limited series American Crime Story: Impeachment…Rosario Dawson (Daredevil) landed the lead in HBO Max pilot DMZ, based on the DC comic book series…Johnny Flynn (Beast) will star with Andrew Scott in Showtime drama Ripley, based on the Tom Ripley novels by Patricia Highsmith.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Grand Horizons with James Cromwell, Jane Alexander, Michael Urie and Ben McKenzie is opening on Thursday January 23, 2019.
https://ppc.broadway.com/shows/grand-horizons/