“The Jennifer Hudson Show” has been renewed for a third season by the Fox TV Stations and Hearst TV groups, giving it a go for fall 2024. Also on the daytime talker front, “The Drew Barrymore Show” has been renewed for Season 5 on CBS Stations.
The Hudson news was announced Friday by Channing Dungey, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group; David Decker, President of Content Sales, Warner Bros. Discovery; and Frank Cicha, Executive Vice President of Programming for Fox Television Stations. Earlier this week, the Barrymore news was announced by Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures.
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“The Jennifer Hudson Show” has averaged 4.4 million total P2+ weekly viewers in its second season, according to Warner Bros., and was nominated for six Daytime Emmy Awards in 2023 (including Outstanding Daytime Talk Series).
“There is nothing I love more than watching people come together in positivity on one accord – sharing our humanity and our stories, learning from each other, and celebrating one another. I feel so blessed to have this platform where we do just that every single day,” Hudson said in a statement. “We get to experience life to the fullest – we laugh out loud, we cry joyful tears, we dance the best we can, and we sing our hearts out.”
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Added Dungey: “Jennifer is a rare talent, both in front of and behind the camera. Her enthusiasm and endearing demeanor radiates from the stage and onto television screens everywhere. It’s no wonder her audience continues to skyrocket. We are so proud of the entire ‘Jennifer Hudson Show’ team for their amazing success, and we look forward to another year full of exciting moments, engaging conversations, and stellar guests.”
Upcoming guests include Kaley Cuoco, Heidi Klum, Common, Snoop Dogg, and Chrissy Teigen. The show is produced by JHUD Productions and Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Telepictures and distributed in national syndication by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. Hudson, Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner, Corey Palent, Graehme Morphy and Walter Williams III are exec producers, with LaNeé Griffin as co-executive producer.
As for “The Drew Barrymore Show,” McMahon said in a statement that the show was “firing on all cylinders this season. Drew continues to catapult the show into the cultural zeitgeist with her empathetic and thoughtful interviews transporting viewers into her living room, where they feel like they are listening to a conversation between two friends that they are a part of. It’s an experience unlike any other in television. Drew is truly creating magic in daytime, and we’re thrilled to continue to bring that to our stations.”
The show, which CBS Stations airs in major markets, averages 1.1 million viewers and has grown from October to December in certain key measurements, according to the distributor. Drew Barrymore has been featured in Variety’s New York Women Impact Report and was an honoree at Variety’s Power of Women event in 2022.
Barrymore will interview the full cast of the new “Mean Girls” in a special episode airing on Friday. Also upcoming, she will be joined by the full cast of “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.” Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Annette Bening, Dan Levy, Isla Fisher, Lucy Hale, Clive Owen, Andie MacDowell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jamie Oliver and Chrissy Teigen are also slated to appear.
The nationally syndicated daytime show is produced and distributed by CBS Media Ventures and filmed in New York City. Barrymore and Jason Kurtz executive produce.
In other roundup news:
FIRST LOOKS
Nat Geo has released the trailer for the upcoming docu-drama series “Genius: MLK/X,” which will have a two-episode premiere on Feb. 1 on National Geographic Channel at 9 p.m. ET. The episodes will simulcast on ABC and become available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.
Per the series’ description, “Genius: MLK/X” “explores simultaneously the formative years, pioneering accomplishments, dueling philosophies and key personal relationships of both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre). While King advanced racial equality through nonviolent activism, X advocated for Black empowerment, identity and self-determination.”
The logline continues, “The eight-part series also brings their wives, Coretta Scott King (Weruche Opia) and Betty Shabazz (Jayme Lawson), to the forefront and shows them as formidable equals of the Movement. While King and X met only once and often challenged each other’s views, the two visionaries, with their wives leading by their sides, ultimately rose to pioneer a movement that lives on today.”
Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Kristen Zolner executive produce for Imagine Television. Reggie Rock Bythewood, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Francie Calfo executive produce on behalf of Undisputed Cinema. Raphael Jackson Jr. and Damione Macedon serve as showrunners and executive producers. Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane are executive producers for Madison Wells in addition to Sam Sokolow for EUE/Sokolow. Jeff Stetson wrote the pilot and also serves as executive producer. Channing Godfrey Peoples directed the pilot and co-executive produces. Ambassador Shabazz was a consulting producer. 20th Television produces the series.
Watch the trailer below.
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Starz has dropped the trailer for the third and final season of “Hightown.” The season will premiere on Friday, Jan. 26, at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will be available to stream on the Starz app and other on-demand platforms at midnight ET.
The season’s logline reads: “The crime drama centered around the opioid crisis in picturesque Cape Cod comes to an explosive conclusion with the final season premiere on Friday, Jan. 26. The time has come for Jackie Quiñones (Monica Raymund) to pick a side and stand up for what she believes in. All lies come to an end, and the case is coming to a close.”
It continues: “Alliances are made, and old loyalties are questioned in this beautiful but corrupt place where nothing is as it seems.”
Monica Raymund (Jackie Quiñones), James Badge Dale (Detective Ray Abruzzo), Riley Voelkel (Renee Segna), Amaury Nolasco (Frankie Alvarez), Atkins Estimond (Osito) and Dohn Norwood (Alan Saintille) will return to star in the finale. Imani Lewis, Mark Boone Junior and Mike Pniewski will return in recurring roles.
Ana Nogueira (“The Vampire Diaries”), Taja V. Simpson (“The Oval”), Michael Drayer (“Mr. Robot,” “Sneaky Pete”), Garret Dillahunt (12 Years a Slave, “Deadwood”), Jeanine Serralles (“Inside Llewyn Davis,” “The Woman in the Window”) and Kate Miller (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) will guest star in the finale.
Watch the trailer for the “Hightown” final season below.
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Paramount+ has released the trailer for its forthcoming original drama series “Sexy Beast,” premiering exclusively on the streamer on Jan. 25.
The logline reads, “The trailer gives a first glimpse into the origins of Gal and Don’s complicated relationship as they find themselves descending into the seductive madness of the London criminal world during the vibrant and volatile 1990s, while Gal’s budding relationship with DeeDee threatens everything in their world.”
James McArdle and Emun Elliott star as Gal Dove and Don Logan, respectively. The series also stars Sarah Greene as Deedee Harrison, Stephen Moyer as Teddy Bass and Tasmin Greig as Don’s sister Cecilia.
The rest of the cast includes Eliza Bennett, Clea Martin, Nicholas Nunn, Peter Ferdinando, John Dagleish, Robbie Gee, Paul Kaye, Lex Shrapnel, Cally Lawrence, David Kennedy, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Ralph Brown, Nitin Ganatra and Alice Bailey Johnson.
“Sexy Beast” is produced by AC Chapter One and Anonymous Content in association with PTIS. Executive producers include Michael Caleo, Nicole Clemens, Antony Smith, Michael Scheel, JC Acosta, Alastair Galbraith and David Caffrey, in addition to David Scinto and Louis Mellis, the writers of the original “Sexy Beast” film.
Watch the trailer below.
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The second season of SNL alum Nasim Pedrad’s series “Chad,” moving from TBS to Roku, has dropped a trailer.
In addition to starring as the titular character, Pedrad serves as creator, executive producer, showrunner and writer on this 10-episode comedy. The series description reads: “Sophomore year brings a new set of challenges for 15-year-old Chad Amani. His newfound popularity is under threat, his friendship with best friend Peter is put to the test, and his prepubescent attention is captivated by a new crush, all while Chad continues to come to terms with his cultural identity.”
Along with Pedrad, executive producers on the show are Oliver Obst, Rob Rosell, Max Searle and Rhys Thomas. The series was moved to Roku after being cancelled by TBS.
“Chad” will be available to stream on The Roku Channel starting Jan. 19.
Watch the trailer below.
PROGRAMMING
“The NYC Field Guide: How to Thrive in the Five” – a new series that aims to offer unique tips, hacks and expert information from celebrities, New Yorkers and New York City officials for how to live, work and play in the five boroughs of New York City – is officially in development by NYC Media, the Broadcast Network for the City of NY and Next Millennium Productions.
Set to air in 2024 on the channel NYC Life (WNYE-TV), the 13-episode series will be hosted by Emmy-award winner Micaela Birmingham, and each episode will run for about 30 minutes. Birmingham won an Emmy award for a public service announcement she wrote and produced aimed at engaging the public in the rebuilding of lower Manhattan after 9/11.
“Thriving in a city of nearly 9 million people takes determination, practice and a New York state of mind,” Birmingham said in the press release. “What better way to showcase the limitless spirit of the city than a show about how to hack it like a pro.”
The show is being developed by the official broadcast branch for the City of New York and is a part of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME). Pat Swinney Kaufman, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, described the show as “the perfect example of the kind of content NYC Media creates and airs round-the-clock to keep New Yorkers entertained and educated about their city.”
He continued: “We look forward to highlighting the work of other city agencies through this series, and what better place to showcase this information than the city’s lifestyle channel, NYC Life.”
“The NYC Field Guide: How to Thrive in the Five” is also being produced in collaboration with minority and woman-owned production company Next Millennium Productions (NMP), based in lower Manhattan.
The Emmy-nominated company has been a MOME production partner for over a decade.
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“Morning in America with Hena Doba” will premiere on NewsNation on Jan. 27, anchored by Doba on Saturdays and Sundays from 7-10 a.m. ET.
Starting Jan. 22, NewsNation will debut a new daytime lineup. The weekend edition of “Morning in America” will transition to a three-hour program with solo anchor Markie Martin from 6-9 a.m. ET. Adrienne Bankert, “Morning in America” co-host, will become NewsNation’s Special Projects anchor, starting a new series centered on faith called “One Nation Under God” in Feb. 2024.
The new lineup will also see “NewsNation Now with Nichole Berlie” expand to three hours from 12-3 p.m. ET after “NewsNation Live with Marni Hughes” from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET. “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” will also move to an earlier timeslot at 5 p.m. ET, followed by “The Hill” with moderator Blake Burman at 6 p.m. ET.
“We are excited to debut our new weekend morning show along with an enhanced daytime lineup to fill out our 24 hour/7 day-a-week schedule in 2024,” said Michael Corn, NewsNation’s president of news, in a statement. “This programming is another big milestone for the network as we continue to build a best-in-class news organization.”
“Today” show veteran Dee Dee Thomas will also join the network as executive producer of the weekend edition of “Morning in America.”
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CBS is taking the network on the road for Super Bowl LVIII. The Eye network is planning what it calls “an exclusive weeklong residency” at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas that week. The network’s multiplatform Super Bowl coverage will include sports, news and entertainment leading up to the CBS Sports’ presentation of the game on Feb. 11.
The Fountains of Bellagio will serve as the backdrop of CBS’ central broadcast location. Las Vegas will be home to shows from four CBS divisions across broadcast, cable and streaming from Feb. 5 to Feb. 11. The CBS Sports programming will include “The NFL Today,” “Super Bowl Live,” “CBS Sports HQ,” “NFL Monday QB,” “That Other Pregame Show,” “We Need to Talk,” “The Jim Rome Show” and “Time to Schein.” The CBS News shows are “CBS Mornings,” “CBS Saturday Morning,” “CBS Evening News With Norah O’Donnell” and “CBS Stations and Affiliates.”
CBS Entertainment will host “The Talk,” while CBS Media Ventures will host “The Drew Barrymore Show,” “Entertainment Tonight” and “Inside Edition.” The programming schedules will be released at a later date.
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Max has released the trailer for Season 3 of its original comedy series “Sort Of,” premiering Jan. 18 on the streamer with the release of two episodes.
“Sort Of” follows Sabi (Bilal Baig), a non-binary Pakistani-Canadian millennial navigating their work and personal life.
The Season 3 synopsis reads, “Sabi comes to terms with feelings of grief and an unexpected sense of freedom following the death of their father. Without the constraints of living up to dad’s expectations, Sabi confronts big questions about their identity, prompting some massive life choices. In a season that has the entire ensemble grappling with aftermaths, a rebirth comes in a sort of messy, sort of hopeful, sort of ‘Sort Of’ way.”
The series is a co-production with CBC and Sphere Media. In addition to starring, Baig also serves as co-creator, co-showrunner and executive producer alongside Fab Filippo. Jennifer Kawaja and Bruno Dubé of Sphere Media are also executive producers.
Watch the trailer below.
PRODUCTION
Apple TV+ and Major League Soccer have announced an all-access docuseries exploring the world of soccer in North America, which will be produced in partnership with Box to Box Films.
The untitled eight-part series is currently in production and will offer audiences an insider look into the league and spotlight the biggest moments from the 2024 season all the way to the MLS Cup Final.
Apple and MLS began a 10-year partnership in 2023, launching MLS Season Pass. The docuseries will join Apple’s “Messi Meets America” and the upcoming “Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend.” Emmy winner Paul Martin (“Make or Break,” “Formula 1: Drive to Survive”) and Warren Smith (“Make or Break,” “Full Swing”) executive produce.
DATES
The second season of “Quantum Leap,” the NBC science-fiction drama, will return on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. All episodes will be available to stream on Peacock a day after airing.
Season 2 will conclude with a two-hour finale on Feb. 20, airing from 9-11 p.m.
Starring Raymond Lee, Caitlin Bassett, Ernie Hudson, Mason Alexander Park and Nanrisa Lee, “Quantum Leap” follows Dr. Ben Song, a lead physicist of a top-secret government time-travel program known as Quantum Leap, who makes an unauthorized leap into the past, awakening in a different body with only fragments of his memory intact.
The show ranked as a top 5 drama this season and is drawing 4.9 million viewers across all platforms, according to NBCUniversal.
Martin Gero (“Blindspot”) and Dean Georgaris (“The Brave”) serve as executive producers along with Deborah Pratt, Chris Grismer, Alex Berger, Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt. Universal Television produces the series in association with Quinn’s House Productions.
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The martial arts organization One Championship has announced that live events will return to the U.S. at Denver’s Ball Arena for One Fight Night 26 on Sept. 6 and Atlanta’s State Farm Arena for One Fight Night 28 on Nov. 8.
One Fight Night events will continue to air live on Prime Video in the U.S. and Canada in 2024.
Chatri Sityodtong, chairman and CEO of One Championship said, “We’re thrilled to return to the U.S. to showcase the greatest World Champion martial artists in the country’s best cities and sports arenas. America remains a high-priority market for us as we continue our global expansion, and we can’t wait to get back on-ground to entertain our passionate fanbase in the region with quarterly U.S. events in September 2024 and beyond.”
Register here for pre-sale information.
The full 2024 One Fight Night event schedule can be found below:
Fri. Jan. 12: One Fight Night 18
Fri. Feb. 16: One Fight Night 19
Fri. March 8: One Fight Night 20
Fri. April 5: One Fight Night 21
Fri., May 3: One Fight Night 22
Fri. June 7: One Fight Night 23
Fri. July 5: One Fight Night 24
Fri. Aug. 2: One Fight Night 25
Fri. Sept. 6: One Fight Night 26
Fri. Oct. 4: One Fight Night 27
EXECUTIVE NEWS
Black Entertainment Television (BET) co-founder Sheila Johnson has been named to the PBS Foundation Board of Directors. Johnson also manages luxury properties as the founder and CEO of Salamander Group.
The Foundation serves as PBS’s fundraising arm. In her role, Johnson will be one of the members helping the organization secure grants to further PBS’s mission of spreading the news to its audiences.
“I’m proud to welcome Sheila Johnson, a trailblazing entrepreneur, to the PBS Foundation Board,” Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS. “Sheila’s unparalleled track record of building organizations from the ground up, and her deep understanding of what entertains and inspires audiences, will be extremely important to our work.”
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Legion Creative has announced several new additions as the agency expands into streaming, TV and video games.
Karin Levinson and Dan Wolf have been appointed as co-heads of the newly established A/V and streaming division. Wolf will serve as creative director, with Levinson as executive producer within the newly formed department. Through years of their collaborative history, Wolf and Levinson have launched the agency’s A/V division focused on streaming, TV, theatrical and video games. The two have more than 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, with long-standing client relationships with Netflix, HBO/Max, Lionsgate, Disney and Warner Bros.
They will join the agency’s recent print department expansion, along with the hires of Dustin Stanton and Annabelle Younan, whose portfolio includes campaigns for FX’s “American Horror Story,” “Mayans” and “Legion.”
INITIATIVES
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises has partnered with Comcast’s Project UP program and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation to donate 2,500 laptops, adding up to 10,000 free laptops given out to Latino youth and community organizations as part of its campaign. This marks the fourth year of the program, which aims “to help bridge the digital divide in Hispanic communities across the country.”
The 2,500 laptops will be given to underserved youth and families in various cities across the country this month, including Boston, Miami, Houston, the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C. The Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Comcast-funded nonprofits including Prospera and The Hispanic Alliance for Career Advancement (HACE) will also help distribute the laptops.
“These laptops are an investment in the next generation of young Hispanic students,” said Broderick Johnson, executive vice president, public policy and executive vice president, digital equity, Comcast Corporation. “By combining free laptops with the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program or Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, these students can grow up connected to everything the Internet has to offer. With the right tools and digital skills, they can all tap into their own unlimited possibilities.”
AWARDS
Allen Media Group’s news and entertainment media platform theGrio has announced that nominations have opened for theGrio Heroes initiative, beginning Jan. 8. Submissions can be sent it in through Feb. 9.
The initiative honors everyday heroes of African American descent who are impacting their communities, culture and humanity through service. Nominees who made an impact or continued to make an impact in 2023 are eligible to be considered.
“We are committed to shining a spotlight on people whose actions speak louder than words,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group. “We celebrate unsung heroes whose stories inspire and uplift our society and significantly impact humanity for the greater good.”
“There are many people who should be nominated and deserve recognition,” said Geraldine Moriba, senior vice president, news, entertainment and empowerment of theGrio. “I am thrilled we have the opportunity to honor those heroes in our local communities with unwavering commitment to positive change. Their steadfastness and resilience transforms lives.”
The ten winners will be announced in April. Find out more information about the Grio Heroes here.
DEALS
Australian director Glendyn Ivin, who helmed the Amazon Prime limited series “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart,” has signed with Anonymous Content and the UK-based Independent Talent.
Based on the novel by Holly Ringland, “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” was released in August 2023 and starred Sigourney Weaver. Ivin also executive produced the series.
Ivin is also the director behind the 2009 film “Last Ride,” starring Hugo Weaving and Tom Russell. He has additionally helmed the short film “Cracker Bag” and the independent film “Penguin Bloom” with Naomi Watts.
Ivin’s other television credits include “The Cry,” “Safe Harbour,” “Seven Types of Ambiguity,” “The Beautiful Lie” and “Puberty Blues.”
Ivin will still be represented by HLA Management Australia.
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Scripps News has partnered with POLITICO to launch “The Race — Weekend,” a new series that will focus on the 2024 election.
As per the press release, the program will feature analysis of political headlines with correspondents from both Scripps and POLITICO. Set to appear are White House correspondents Haley Bull and Serena Marshall, congressional reporters Nathaniel Reed and Stephanie Liebergen and national political correspondents Ava-joye Burnett and Alex Miller, among other notable individuals. “The Race — Weekend” will premiere Jan. 20.
“Scripps News has experienced correspondents living, working and reporting in cities and towns big and small all over the country,” said Kate O’Brian, Scripps News president. “This new program lineup puts our strengths on impactful display — independent, on-the-ground reporting delivered live and with timely context.”
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