Wednesday, August 09, 2017
TCA Summer 2017 Press Tour: Fox; HBO Renews Comedies Ballers and Insecure
Fox was up yesterday at the TCA Summer 2017 press tour. Among the announcements were Fox's next live musical event, A Christmas Story, will air Sunday, Dec. 17 from 7:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed LIVE on Fox. From Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, the three-hour live television event, inspired by the holiday classic feature A Christmas Story and the Tony Award-nominated Broadway production A Christmas Story: The Musical, will be executive-produced by award-winning film, television and theater producer Marc Platt (Grease: Live, La La Land). The epic adaptation will be filmed at the historic Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. Emmy Award nominee Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live, Bridesmaids) will star as the mother of nine-year old "Ralphie Parker." Additional casting information to be announced soon.
Up next, Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated actor Peter Krause (The Catch, Six Feet Under) has been cast in a lead role in Fox's provocative new drama, 9-1-1, from creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk (the American Horror Story" franchise, Nip/Tuck). The series will premiere in 2018. Krause joins previously announced Academy and Emmy Award nominee Angela Bassett (American Horror Story, What's Love Got to Do with It), in a new series that will begin with the fateful question, "9-1-1, what's your emergency?" The procedural drama explores the high-pressure experiences of police, paramedics and firefighters who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives.
Fox has ordered the new singing competition series The Four, it was announced. The Four begins where most competitions end: with the four finalists. Four super-talented and fiercely competitive singers, chosen from their auditions by the show's panel of music industry experts, will try to defend their coveted spots on the stage, as they are challenged individually by new singers determined to replace them. Each week, if any of the four are outperformed, they'll go home and their challengers will take their place. Expert panelists and additional information regarding The Four will be announced soon.
With both series seeing record viewership this season, HBO has renewed the comedy series Ballers for a fourth season and Insecure for a third season. Looking at the whirlwind lifestyles and real-life problems of former and current football players, Ballers stars Dwayne Johnson as ex-superstar Spencer Strasmore, who has reinvented himself as a financial manager for today's players in sun-soaked Miami. The hit comedy series returned for its ten-episode third season Sunday, July 23, exclusively on HBO. Other cast regulars for the current season include: Rob Corddry, John David Washington, Omar Benson Miller, Donovan Carter, Troy Garity, London Brown, Jazmyn Simon and Dulé Hill.
Created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, Insecure follows the friendship of two black women as they deal with their own real-life flaws while attempting to navigate different worlds and cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences. Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis and Lisa Joyce star in the show, which returned for its eight-episode second season also on Sunday, July 23.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, November 21
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "The 6:10 to Lubbock" (CBS, 10:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie and Mandy get fed up staying with her parents and reconsider their living situation after a fight with Mandy’s mom, Audrey.
Ghosts - "Man of Your Dreams" (CBS, 10:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sam learns that one of the ghosts’ powers is to enter the dreams of the livings and influence their decisions. Also, two of the ghosts think they’ve learned the secret to moving on.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 18)
Thursday, November 21
- Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Catch Jim on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time/Happily Divorced/9 to 5) - Rita appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This/Cristela), Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This/GLOW) and Timothy Simons (HouseBroken/Veep) - Justine, Jackie and Timothy are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Kristin Chenoweth (Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10pm on Bravo.
- Maura Tierney (NewsRadio/The Van Dyke Show) - Maura is in the studio to discuss the neww season of Law and Order on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
- Paul Reiser (Mad About You/Red Oaks/Married/My Two Dads) - Paul is telling Drew about his huge return to comedy after thirty years with his standup special, Life, Death and Rice Pudding, and his new movie The Gutter on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- John O'Hurley (Seinfeld/Over the Top/The Mullets) - John will be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - The Ropers - The Complete Series (VEI)
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - Video Scrapbook
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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