FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (TUESDAY 2/8/22)
ABC: Jeopardy! National College Championship (Premiere) at 8pm
BYU TV: Holly Hobbie (Premiere) at 7pm
NETFLIX: Love Is Blind: Japan (Premiere)
TV ONE: Life Therapy (Finale) at 10pm
Nielsen announced the launch of its Diverse Media Equity program, aimed at elevating the visibility of diverse-owned media companies with advertisers and agencies. The initiative includes measurement of diverse-owned media historically excluded from investment, funding certification fees of diverse-owned media, as well as the launch of a report on diverse-owned media reach and audience profiles. “Advertisers and the media industry recognize the need to be more inclusive and want to ensure they reach an audience that is increasingly diverse,” said David Kenny, CEO, Nielsen. “We are leading the charge to develop a consistent framework and metrics to help demonstrate the value of diverse-owned media.” In collaboration with P&G, Nielsen is seeding a $130,000 reimbursement program with the National Minority Supplier Development Council to help cover the certification fees for qualified diverse-owned media suppliers.
Village Roadshow has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros., alleging breach of contract for the studio’s release of “The Matrix Resurrections” simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. “WB’s strategy not only ensured that ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ would be a bust at the box office, but it also inflicted serious harm to the entire ‘Matrix’ franchise,” reads the complaint, which accuses WB of “consistent coordinated efforts” to “eviscerate the significant value” of Village Roadshow’s IP.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Jimmy Fallon’s “That’s My Jam” has made it to season two on NBC. The variety show has delivered an average 8.3 million viewers and 2.1 rating in the A18-49 demo during its first run.
(Source: Cynopsis)
NBC Olympics host Mike Tirico is coming home early. Originally scheduled to stay in Beijing through February 10, Tirico will be at NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford for Wednesday’s show.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Stephanie Ruhle’s last day as an MSNBC morning show anchor will be Friday, February 11, with “Morning Joe” eventually expanding to gobble up the 9a hour. Starting Wednesday, March 2, Ruhle will anchor late night show “The 11th Hour.” Ruhle takes over for Brian Williams, who exited in December after deciding not to renew his contract. Also on MSNBC, Alex Wagner, part of the net’s daytime lineup from 2011-15, has returned to serve as senior political analyst and guest anchor.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Spotify CEO Daniel Eks told employees “there are no words I can say to adequately convey how deeply sorry” he is for the way the company’s controversial podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” has affected them. But it’s still staying on the platform. “Canceling voices is a slippery slope,” said Eks, while acknowledging the Rogan situation has left many employees “feeling drained, frustrated and unheard.” Instead, Eks committed to investing $100 million for the licensing, development and marketing of music and audio content from “historically marginalized groups.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Conservative political analyst Jonah Goldberg has joined CNN as a contributor. In November, Goldberg and fellow Fox News commentator Stephen Hayes announced in the New York Times that they were leaving the network, saying “the voices of the responsible are being drowned out but the irresponsible.” FNC’s Tucker Carlson labeled the exits “great news.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Disney+ has ordered National Geographic limited series “A Small Light,” following the story of Miep Gies, who sheltered Anne Frank’s family during World War II and saved her diary. The project comes from Joan Rater and Tony Phelan (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Susanna Fogel (“The Flight Attendant”), ABC Signature and Keshet Studios.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Disney Branded Television had a slew of announcements to make during the TCA Winter Press Tour. New greenlights included Disney+ original movie “Prom Pact” (wt), holiday heist movie “The Naughty Nine,” sequel “Under Wraps 2,” hybrid docuseries “Growing Up,” four-parter “Rennervations,” focused on Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”); “Goosebumps,” based on the book series; and season three of “Secrets of Sulpher Springs.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Nat Geo’s slate for Disney+ includes 12 new series, including eight natural history series: “Great Migrations,” “Home,” “Lion,” “Secrets Of The Elephants,” “Secrets Of The Octopus,” “Sentient,” “Super/Natural” and “The Biggest Little Farm Series.” “At National Geographic, our strategy is to tell bold, best-in-class stories that ignite curiosity and inspire people to explore and care about our world,” said Courteney Monroe, President, National Geographic Content. “With premium, creatively ambitious shows from the very best storytellers in the world, we are bringing awe and wonder to the lives of global Disney+ subscribers with wildly entertaining National Geographic documentary series, feature documentary films, epic natural history and fact-based scripted drama.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
“The Smurfs” are coming to Nick. Nickelodeon Animation, LAFIG Belgium and IMPS are partnering to produce a 26-episode season two of the animated series. That’s in addition to an animated musical film set for release December, 2024. “Nickelodeon is the home to some of the world’s most popular family franchises, and we’re honored to add The Smurfs to that roster,” said Ramsey Naito, President of Animation for Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Wheelhouse-backed producer Portal A and Brick City are teaming for “Crypto Beach” (wt), a docuseries focused on the cryptocurrency boom in Miami. “Crypto Beach” will be co-produced by Portal A and Brick City.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Freeform ordered a pilot for drama “AZNBBGRL,” from Natalie Chaidez (“The Flight Attendant”), Dinh Thai (“Wu-Tang: An American Saga”) and Melvin Par (“Fresh Off the Boat”). The coming-of-age story is set in the Vietnamese community of Little Saigon in Southern California.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Chicago”) will play a leading series regular role in Disney+ original series “National Treasure.” An expansion of the “National Treasure” movie franchise, the drama is centered on a young DREAMer (Lisette Alexis) who seeks to uncover the truth about her family’s mysterious past and save a lost Pan-American treasure.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Disney+ original series “American Born Chinese,” an action-comedy based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, will feature Michelle Yeoh (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), Ben Wang (“MacGyver”), Yeo Yann Yann (“Wet Season”), Chin Han (“Mortal Kombat”), Daniel Wu (“Reminiscence”), Ke Huy Quan (“Finding ‘Ohana”), former Taekwondo champion Jim Liu and Sydney Taylor (“Just Add Magic”). Produced by 20th Television, the series will begin production later this month in Los Angeles.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“SNL” alum Kristen Wiig is starring in an Apple comedy series adapted from the book, Mrs. American Pie. Executive producer Laura Dern is also considering a role in the series, set in Palm Beach society.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Singer/songwriter Rita Ora is joining the cast of Disney+ prequel series“ Beauty and the Beast,” while Daveed Diggs (“Hamilton”) is set to narrate the streamer’s “The Crossover.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Ashleigh Murray (“Katy Keene”) landed the female lead opposite Tian Richards in “Nancy Drew” spinoff “Tom Swift,” which has a series order at The CW.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Oh K! Reality show “The Kardashians” premieres Thursday, April 14 on Hulu, with new episodes dropping weekly. The family is making the move from E!, where “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” ran from 2007-2021.
(Source: Cynopsis)
A new season of Discovery’s “Naked and Afraid” debuts Sunday, February 27 at 8p. Franchise firsts include a pair of survivalists who must overcome a language barrier; a male to female transgender survivalist; and a survivalist with Asperger’s who finds ways to overcome challenges she didn’t think possible.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Action-adventure series “Theodosia,” based on the books by Robin L. LaFevers, premieres Thursday, March 10 on HBO Max. The show follows the 14-year-old daughter of two intrepid Egyptologists excavating in the Valley of the Kings.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Oliver Stone four-part docuseries “JFK: Destiny Betrayed” premieres on digital Tuesday, March 8. Subjects covered in the series include the early formation of President Kennedy’s foreign policy overview and his anti-colonial convictions, which put him in opposition to the Eisenhower administration, the CIA, and the Pentagon.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Showtime has renewed “Vice” for seasons three and four. Season three premieres Sunday, May 1 at 8p, leading to a midseason finale on June 19.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season four of Freeform’s “Good Trouble” kicks off Wednesday, March 9 at 10p. Joining the show in a recurring role is Booboo Stewart (“The Twilight Saga”), while Priscilla Quintana has been bumped up to series regular.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Comedy Central has acquired the eight-season “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” library. The series makes its CC debut with an all-day marathon starting Sunday, February 20 at 5p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
For those who don’t know a Ra from a Bengal, and don’t care, The Weather Channel is airing a marathon of Greenland-set reality show “Frozen Gold” on Super Bowl Sunday, February 13 starting at 1p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The Ad Council’s national She Can STEM campaign is debuting a PSA on NBC’s “Today,” featuring the show’s anchors to encourage girls, non-binary youth, and trans youth throughout the country to pursue their interests in STEM. The PSA will air between noon and 3p during Super Bowl Sunday.
(Source: Cynopsis)
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