PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Netflix ordered a ten-episode third season of Atypical. The series, from Sony Pictures Television, is a coming of age story that follows Sam, an 18-year-old on the autistic spectrum who searches for love and independence.
Gail Berman’s The Jackal Group sold two projects to CBS: The Folks, which Kerry Washington’s Simpson Street is producing, and hybrid To Whom It May Concern. The Folks centers on a momma’s boy who marries daddy’s girl and their parents who can’t let go. To Whom It May Concern follows Evan, who sets out with his group of 20-something friends to accomplish a list of challenges in an effort to turn around his boring life.
Lime Pictures optioned Still Breathing: The True Adventures of The Donnelly Brothers, telling the story of Manchester fashion brand Gio Gio. The book, which was written by Christopher and Anthony Donnelly and Simon Spence, will be adapted into a period drama that will follow the story from alleged criminal beginnings to global success.
Kate Dennis (The Handmaid’s Tale) will direct and executive produce Run, HBO’s pilot from Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Vicky Jones and eOne. Romantic thriller focuses on Ruby (Merrit Wever), a woman living a humdrum existence who gets a text inviting her to fulfill a youthful pact, promising true love and self-reinvention, by taking a journey with her oldest flame.
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
Freeform debuts Good Trouble, the spin-off of family drama The Fosters, on Tuesday, January 8. Series stars Maia Mitchell and Cierra Ramirez as Callie and Marianna as they embark on the next phase of their young adult lives in Los Angeles.
Smithsonian Channel’s The Lost Tapes returns Sunday, November 25 at 9p. Series transports viewers transports viewers back in time to relive iconic moments in American history from the chaos of the 2002 sniper shootings in Washington, D.C. and tornado outbreak of 1974 to the heroic Apollo 13 mission.
Kansas City’s crumbling manors get massive makeovers from home renovator Tamara Day in DIY Network’s Bargain Mansions. Sophomore season bows Wednesday, November 28 at 9p.
National Geographic’s Mars returns on Monday, November 12 at 9p, pikcing up nine years after the events of its first season. That same night the net’s Startalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson bows at 11p. New season kicks off with Tyson’s interview with the late Anthony Bourdain to discuss the science of food.
COMING UP
FOX is airing a MasterChef Junior: Celebrity Showdown on Thursday, November 22 at 8p. The special will follow the net’s Thanksgiving Day football game and feature primetime stars and NFL Hall of Famers. Guests include Terrence Howard, Eric Stonestreet, Alyson Hannigan, Lil Ren Howery and football legends Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen are getting into the holiday spirit with NBC’s A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy, airing Wednesday, November 28 at 10p. Legend will perform songs from his upcoming album, A Legendary Christmas, on the special. The pair will be joined by family and friends, as well as other personalities to be announced at a later date.
Logo premieres documentary TransMilitary on Thursday, November 15 at 8p. The film follows four transgender individuals as they navigate their careers in the U.S. military.
VIDEOS IN SHORT
BBC America airs Snatches: Moments From Women’s Lives, a short film series featuring an all-female lineup of actors and writers, on Sunday, November 4 at 9a. Series airs in partnership with Jezebel and features an introduction by Jezebel Editor-in-Chief Julianne Escobedo Shepherd.
Stand-up comic Pauly Shore displays his dramatic side in the psychological thriller Sin City Psycho, an 11-minute short film which he wrote, produced, directed and stars in with Sharon Gardner. Project is currently available on Shore’s YouTube Channel.
PODCAST POSTS
The latest episode of What Really Happened? dives into a tragic rock & roll coincidence, “The 27 Club.” Host Andrew Jenks takes listeners through an oral history of the unsettling deaths of music visionaries like Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse at the age of 27.
Shudder streaming launched Video Palace, its first scripted podcast. Ten-part series chronicles a young couple’s investigation into the origins of a mysterious VHS tape and video store from which it came.
CASTING
Noah-Gray Cabey (Code Black, Heroes) and Evan Bittencourt (Ideal Home) will recur on Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists.
KID STUFF
Mondo TV signed a content partnership with Canada-based kids’ on-demand platform Ameba. Titles include Cinderella, Playtime Buddies, Robin Hood and Turtle Hero.
Disney Channel ordered multi-camera sitcom Just Roll With It. The series is both scripted and improvised, allowing studio audience members to select the outcome of certain scenes while the cast just rolls with it. Hails from co-showrunners Adam Small and Trevor Moore (Disney XD’s Walk the Prank).
DIGITAL
Instagram has overtaken Snapchat as the most used platform among U.S. teens. A new report by Piper Jaffray found that 85% of the demo uses Instagram at least once a month, edging out the 84% who use Snapchat on a monthly basis. However, 46% of teens nevertheless said they consider Snapchat their favorite platform, while 32% ranked Instagram as number one. The report also noted that teens are embracing streaming video, particularly Google’s YouTube, and spurning linear pay TV services.
Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel announced its Season 2 premiere date: Wednesday, December 5. Series will pick up following Midge’s (Rachel Brosnahan) triumph at the Gaslight with the fallout from her takedown of Sophie Lennon looming.
Standard Media Index released data on the advertising revenue of two companies ahead of earning on Thursday. SMI forecasted Google’s total ad revenue for Q3 at $30 billion, or 24.5% growth year-over-year for all marketers (including nation, local and SMBs). SMI data also indicated a 10% ad revenue growth for Snapchat in Q3 among national markets. Year-to-date, Snapchat grew ad revenue from national marketers by 8%. Among national advertisers in Q3, SnapAds were the most popular ad format, making up 67% of the advertising revenue for Snapchat. That’s followed by Lenses at 14%, Rotational Ads at 9%, Geofilter at 5%, Discover at 3%, and SnapCodes and Snapisodes each at 1%.
Simulmedia has begun to add OTT inventory from its linear TV partners to its Transparent TV offering. “Until now we have mostly seen digital video platforms add small amounts of linear TV inventory to their offerings and call it ‘cross-platform.’ Transparent TV with the addition of OTT is unique to the industry,” said Dave Morgan, Simulmedia’s CEO in a statement. “We are starting with a foundation in national, linear TV, delivering hundreds of millions of viewers across more than 80 national networks. Now, we’re complementing it with additional reach from those networks’ streaming video products, which audiences consume over multiple content platforms and devices.”
House of Highlights recently surpassed more than 10 million followers on Instagram. Now the brand is expanding its reach with a new Twitter show set to launch on Thursday, October 25 at 8p. The House of Highlights Show presented by McDonald’s will be distributed on the platform via @HoHighlights monthly on Thursday nights, capturing the most defining moments from the sports world, both on and off the field.
GOING GLOBAL
Armoza Formats’ prime time singing competition, The Four, was commissioned in Lithuania. Latest adaptation is set to air on LNK TV in 2019.
