A&E, Lifetime Upfront 2015; IFC Orders New Comedy with David Krumholtz

Monday, May 04, 2015

A&E, Lifetime Upfront 2015; IFC Orders New Comedy with David Krumholtz

A+E Networks held their annual upfront presentation and party late last week and made a number of significant programming announcements on new event series, new series, and new digital-only series. We'll cover some of that here today. A&E has a new drama coming up called Damien, that follows the adult life of Damien Thorn, the mysterious child from the 1976 motion picture who has grown up seemingly unaware of the satanic forces around him. Damien stars Bradley James as Damien Thorn (Homeland), along with Oscar® nominee Barbara Hershey (Once Upon a Time), Omid Abtahi (Better Call Saul) and Meganlyn Echikunwoke (House of Lies). HISTORY, A&E and LIFETIME greenlight the scripted event series Roots for a new generation of viewers to simulcast on all three flagship brands. Will Packer (Ride Along, Think Like A Man) joins as executive producer and original Roots cast member and Emmy-award winning LeVar Burton boards as co-executive producer. The event will air in 2016. Lifetime of course has new series UnReal coming up, launching June 1. The drama stars Shiri Appleby (Girls) and Constance Zimmer (House of Cards, Entourage) and gives a fictitious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the chaos surrounding the production of a dating competition program.

And finally, Lifetime, A&E Network and HISTORY are partnering with The Weinstein Company, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Worldwide/Lookout Point on a major limited series event based on Leo Tolstoy's enduring novel War and Peace. Simulcasting in the U.S. on the three networks in 2016, War and Peace will feature an all-star cast including SAG Award® and Film Independent Spirit Award winner Paul Dano (12 Years a Slave, Little Miss Sunshine), Lily James (Cinderella, Downton Abbey), Golden Globe® winner Gillian Anderson (The X Files, Hannibal), Oscar®, James Norton (Happy Valley, Rush), Golden Globe and BAFTA winner Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!, Iris) and others. Back to Lifetime, season three of Devious Maids will launch on June 1, as previously announced.

Gigi's Bucket List

IFC is joining Gigi on her ultimate adventures with the newly greenlit comedy, Gigi's Bucket List, starring David Krumholtz (This Is The End, Numb3rs, 10 Things I Hate About You). Gertrude Rotblum, aka "Gigi," just lost her beloved husband Harold, but has gained a new lease on life with the help of an unknown bank account discovered in his will. Eight half-hour episodes start shooting this June in Los Angeles. The show will premiere later in 2015 on IFC. With her dead husband's secret millions, this 76-year-old yenta with a heart of gold and a razor-sharp tongue sets out to experience everything she deprived herself of in her younger years. Gigi (Krumholtz) will live life to its fullest and fastest while ignoring doctor's orders and turning the stigmas of aging on their head. She will travel to rock festivals and explore new technologies like online dating, with her trusty male nurse sidekick played by Ricky Mabe (Goon, Zach & Miri Make A Porno) along for the ride.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, April 1

The Goldbergs - "Island Time" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Erica, Barry, Geoff and the JTP go on a spring break trip and things are not what they expect. Meanwhile, Adam questions if college is for him when his test scores are not as good as he was hoping for.

Schooled - "Lainey's Mom" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
With some encouragement from Coach Mellor, Lainey reunites with her mother. While inspired by the film “Good Will Hunting,” Wilma adds a new, unorthodox addition to the robotics club.

Modern Family - "I'm Going to Miss This" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Mitchell is having a hard time letting go of his old life and Gloria steps in to help him say goodbye. Meanwhile, Haley, Luke and Alex decide to throw a party at the Dunphy house when Claire and Phil leave for a trip, and Dylan’s mom takes the twins for the night.

American Housewife - "The Battle for Second Breakfast" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Katie begins to feel like the third wheel when the topic at second breakfast starts revolving solely around Angela and Doris’ new relationships. Meanwhile, Greg struggles with Anna-Kat’s newfound independence.

Dave - "Talent Shows" (FXX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Dave is in Philly for his first concert ever, and the gang stays with his parents; after reuniting with his overnight camp friends, Dave ponders his artistic roots.

In The Cut - "Barbershop Through the Years" (Bounce TV, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When the city announces it will demolish Jay's business to make way for a new freeway, everyone must come together to convince an appraiser that the barbershop is a historical landmark.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 30)

Wednesday, April 1

Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Watch Eric and Jesse on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:05am on ABC.
Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys and a Pizza Place) - Ryan is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Anna Faris (Mom) - Anna appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry is a guest on A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC. He will also be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Nico Santos (Superstore) - Nico talks about Superstore on People Now at 1pm.
Issa Rae (Insecure) - Issa talks about The Lovebirds on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Adam Pally (Indebted/Making History/The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam talks about Indebted on a repeat of Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Carly Hughes (American Housewife) - Carly talks about American Housewife on a repeat of Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.