PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Cate Blanchett has signed on to star in Mrs. America, a new limited series ordered by FX and created and written by Dahvi Waller (Mad Men) and executive-produced by Stacey Sher, Waller, Coco Francini and Blanchett. Production of the nine-ep limited series, based on the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, is scheduled for 2019; it’s produced by FX Productions with Waller serving as showrunner.
Six weeks into season 5 of Bojack Horseman, Netflix renewed the animated series starring Will Arnett for a sixth season... Netflix also picked up a second season of adult animated comedy series Paradise PD; the renewal comes two months after it premiered the series about a backwater small-town police department that features the voice of Sarah Chalke.
Busy times at IFC, which has five original comedies in development: Almost Asian, about the life of a mixed-race millennial in LA, stars and is exec-produced by Katie Malia (The Mindy Project), and is also exec-produced by Margaret Cho (30 Rock), Sarah Martin (Margaret Cho: Psycho), Jessie Boemper (Thugs, the Musical!) and Evan Shapiro (Please Like Me, Harmonquest). Produced by Funny or Die and Nate Dern (Every Damn Day), Annika Erotica, follows a young Colorado pastor who harbors a secret passion for writing erotic novels under a pen name. Art Thieves, exec-produced by Mitch Magee (Funny or Die Presents) and Daniel Powell (Inside Amy Schumer), is an adventure comedy chronicling three misfit criminals who fancy themselves to be the Robin Hoods of the art world. Beth, a comedy about a happily agoraphobic man and his uneasy journey back to the outside world, is exec-produced by Timm Sharp (Blunt Talk, Enlightened), Jonathan Ames (Bored to Death, Blunt Talk) and Lighthouse Management & Media. Co-exec-produced by Jonathan Braylock (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), James Carr (TripTank), James III (Adam Ruins Everything) and Jerah Milligan (Broad City), The Middle Passage is a satirical political sketch comedy.
USA picked up season seven of Chrisley Knows Best, and greenlit a 16-episode spin-off, Growing Up Chrisley, centered on kids Chase and Savannah trying to break out on their own in LA. The back half of season six of Chrisley Knows Best debuts on Wednesday, November 28 at 9p.
YouTube ordered Dumb People Town, a half-hour animated series based on the podcast created by Randy Sklar, Jason Sklar and Daniel Van Kirk. Series centers around a family in a Florida town struggling with the most important question of our times: Is it better to be dumb and happy, or smart and miserable? Dumb People Town will be written by and exec-produced by Randy and Jason Sklar, Van Kirk and Julius Sharpe (Making History, Family Guy). Will Arnett and Marc Forman will exec-produce through Electric Avenue along with Peter Principato and Joel Zadak through Artists First. Project is distributed by Sony Pictures Television.
Ben Silverman and Howard Owens of A+E Networks-backed studio Propagate bought Electus and its majority stake in management/production house Artists First from Barry Diller’s IAC. It’s a coming home of sorts for Silverman, who left Electus two years ago to join Propogate.
Mona Scott-Young, Love & Hip Hop creator, signed an overall deal with Lionsgate TV to develop and produce unscripted series for its alternative TV business under her Monani Productions shingle, and develop projects across Lionsgate’s scripted, digital and other businesses.
EstrellaTV entered a multiyear licensing agreement with Fremantle to co-produce the Spanish-language version of Family Feud, to be called 100 Latinos Dijeron. New series will air on EstrellaTV beginning in early 2019; the show’s host will be announced in January.
BBC Studios is developing a drama based on the real story behind the Machiavellian Lady Macbeth. BBC Studios North, run by Tom Sherry, and its Scottish division co-developed the pilot for Lady Macbeth, which takes place before the events in the Shakespeare play.
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
In celebration of the premiere of the Friday, November 2, premiere of Buying It Blind and Bravo’s expansion into real estate and design, special “hidden homes” began popping up in LA, Chicago and NY beginning yesterday (October 30). New series follows six couples as they decide which property to call home without ever stepping foot inside.
Smithsonian Channel turns its lens on the mighty Mississippi in new three-part series America’s Mississippi, premiering Wednesday, December 5 at 8p. Series was filmed in ultra-high def to reveal the true beauty of the river and capture the abundance and diversity of wildlife who call the Mississippi home.
Netflix set December 14 for the season 4 premiere of hit spinoff Fuller House.
Ovation will debut Riviera, a scripted drama series starring Julia Stiles, on Saturday, February 9 at 10p. Riviera, created by Neil Jordan, weaves complex characters and an intricate plot, all against the backdrop of the Cote d’Azur.
Cosmos will return to National Geographic for its third season beginning Monday, March 4 at 10p. The 13-part series, under the subhead “Possible Worlds,” again exec-produced, written and directed by Ann Druyan, and exec-produced by Seth MacFarlane, Brannon Braga and Jason Clark, will also air on Fox in the US. Neil deGrasse Tyson will return as host.
COMING UP
The Breakthrough Prize, to air live on Sunday, November 4 at 10p on Nat Geo, will feature musical performances by Lionel Richie and China’s top-selling female artist G.E.M.
MTV announced Charlamagne Tha God and Liza Koshy will co-host the network’s +1 The Vote Election Afterparty on Tuesday, November 6 at Miami Dade College. Ashanti, Jazz Jennings, March For Our Lives co-founders David Hogg, Delaney Tarr, Jaclyn Corin, Jammal Lemy, Sarah Chadwick and more are set to make guest appearances.
NBC will celebrate man’s best friend in the 17th anniversary edition of The National Dog Show Presented by Purina, airing on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, at noon following the telecast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The canine fest will be hosted by TV and Broadway talent John O’Hurley (Seinfeld, Dancing with the Stars).
Cozi TV is celebrating the holiday season by welcoming some surprising guest stars in every ep all Thanksgiving weekend. The promo starts Thursday, November 22, and includes mini-marathons of Frasier, The Nanny and Murder, She Wrote. Then on Friday, December 14, Cozi will offer up A Very Cozi Christmas, featuring holiday-themed eps of Little House on the Prairie, Frasier and Will & Grace.
Oxygen’s Up and Vanished, based on the investigative podcast, premieres Sunday, November 18 at 7p. Special focuses on the mysterious disappearance of a Georgia beauty queen.
Hallmark Channel will present the 262nd ep of the Hallmark Hall of Fame, Christmas Everlasting, on Saturday, November 24 at 8p. The special is part of the network’s nine-night Thanksgiving programming promo, which features 13 new original movies beginning Saturday, November 17 through Sunday, November 25.
DIGITAL DATA
Apple finally lifted the curtain on its redesigned iPad Pro, which has face ID, slimmed-down bezels, a USB-C port and more powerful specs than its predecessor. Remodel comes in two screen sizes: 11 inches and 12.9 inches, priced at $799 and $999, respectively. Preorders begin this week for shipment November 7.
Facebook revealed during its 3Q18 earnings call that the number of active users in the U.S. and Canada has been flat for the year (185 million), while the number of users in Europe slipped (from 279 million to 278 million). “We may be close to saturated in developed countries,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Overall, though, the numbers are up, with 2.27 billion users in September 2018 versus 2.07 billion in September 2017.
Hundreds of Google employees reportedly are planning a walkout tomorrow (November 1) in the wake of reports by The New York Times that the company settled with its executive Andy Rubin, who was accused of sexual misconduct.
SHORT FORM
Freeform and media company ATTN: are launching co-branded campaign “March to the Polls,” which encourages young adults to use their power to vote. Beginning tomorrow (November 1), a series of PSAs featuring network talent including Maia Mitchell, Cierra Ramirez, Deon Cole, Trevor Jackson, Chloe and Halle Bailey will debut across the Freeform and ATTN: social media platforms targeting millennial and Gen Z voters. Freeform also will dedicate its on-air promo time on Election Day, November 6, to amplify information about polling locations and deadlines to vote.
KIDS NEWS
A new season of Takeshi’s Castle will debut on Nicktoons on Wednesday November 2 at 6p, with Roman Kemp confirmed as the new host for the game show.
Kids series Oddbods released endless runner mobile game Oddbods Turbo Run, developed in collaboration with Singapore-based goGame, a subsidiary of Sega. The free-to-play game is available download on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
Cartoon Network is checking into a new venture. The 165-room Cartoon Network Hotel will open next summer in Lancaster, Pa., targeting families and sure to maximize screen time for the network’s programming. It’s part of a recent deal forged between CN and Palace Entertainment.
Fred Rogers Productions is expanding the licensing program for Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood including renewed partnerships with JAKKS Pacific and Party City Holdings, plus new licensees including Handcraft and York Wallcoverings.
TALK TO THE BRAND
The fast-evolving media world has CMOs at companies big and small on the lookout for the most effective tools to market their brands and target the right consumers - but it's not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Brian LeBlanc, CMO of Bengal Products, a pesticide company headquartered in Baton Rouge, has a premium product loved by customers, but TV advertising alone is no longer enough to reach the right audience. Cynopsis asked LeBlanc what Bengal is doing to address the problem.
What are your specific challenges as a marketer for your brand?
We have to communicate a value proposition. We are three times the price of any competitor and yet we have the highest customer retention of any pesticide, according to Nielsen. But we are still a niche product. We need to find the "gorilla" marketing angle that works best for us.
Are you starting to align your brand strategy around smaller screens?
We decided to reallocate all of our marketing efforts for 2019 to digital only. We need to be super focused on targeting our customer.
What do social networks need to do to make CMOs more comfortable with associating with their brand?
Transparency is a must. Facebook has been on the hot seat for misleading agencies about video viewing. We were in the process of considering videos on Facebook when the news came out. But of course we are still interested in exploring social, maybe through influencers.
CASTING
It’s official. Naomi Watts will lead the ensemble cast of HBO’s untitled Game Of Thrones prequel pilot… Jordan Belfi (American Curious) scored a recurring role in NBC’s Chicago Fire… Jaime Murray (Dexter) landed a key recurring role on upcoming fifth and final season of Batman prequel Gotham on Fox… Kristine Froseth (Sierra Burgess is a Loser) and Charlie Plummer will lead in Looking For Alaska, Hulu’s eight-ep limited series… Megyn Price (The Ranch) and Coy Stewart (Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will recur in Netflix’s upcoming Mr. Iglesias… Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) locked in a series regular role as villain “Lord Harwood” in upcoming Epix drama series Pennyworth… Lauren Stamile (Complications) scored a recurring role on NBC drama Good Girls… Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle snagged David Sakurai, Carter MacIntyre and Bruce Locke to recur on the fourth season.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Production house Guesswork Television is teaming with Sharon Horgan's Merman for a period comedy series Frayed for Sky and Australia's ABC. Six-part series is fronted by comedian Sarah Kendall and Matt Passmore (The Glades).
