Wednesday, June 13, 2018
WGN America Picks Up Two Original Series; Pop TV Orders New Comedy Florida Girls
WGN America unveiled two new originals, exhibiting the full spectrum of the beloved detective procedural genre: lighthearted detective comedy Carter, starring Jerry O'Connell (Mistresses, Sliders, Crossing Jordan), Sydney Poitier Heartsong (Chicago P.D.) and Kristian Bruun (Orphan Black), and crime drama Gone, starring Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Law & Order, The Good Wife), Leven Ramblin (The Hunger Games) and Danny Pino (CSI: Miami). Carter is a sharp, 10-episode series that revolves around Harley Mackay (O'Connell), an actor playing a detective on a hit television show until he is forced to retreat to his sleepy hometown after an embarrassing public meltdown in Hollywood. Now that he's back, he taps into his acting experience to become a real-life detective, partnering with his two best friends, Sam Shaw (Heartsong) and Dave Leigh (Bruun). Carter will make its debut on WGN America on Tuesday, August 7.
Gone follows the story of Kit "Kick" Lannigan (Rambin), survivor of a highly publicized child-abduction case, and Frank Novak (Noth), the FBI agent who rescued her. Determined never to fall victim again, Kick trains herself in martial arts and the use of firearms. She finds her calling when Novak persuades her to join a special task force he created dedicated to solving abductions and missing persons cases. Paired with former Army intelligence officer John Bishop (Pino), Kick brings her unique understanding of a predator's mind to the team. The series is set to premiere early 2019.
Four girls living in Small Town, Florida confront their stagnant lives when their only ambitious friend moves away to follow her dreams, in Florida Girls, an original scripted half-hour comedy commissioned by Pop TV, a network owned by CBS Corporation and Lionsgate. Florida Girls heads into production this fall. Lionsgate, which recently acquired a majority ownership of 3 Arts Entertainment, will produce Florida Girls alongside 3 Arts and JAX Media. Series creator and executive producer Laura Chinn (The Mick) will star in the 10-episode series, which is based on Chinn's real-life.
Lilly Burns of JAX Media directed the pilot and serves as an executive producer of the series. Tony Hernandez of JAX Media, and Oly Obst and Josh Lieberman of 3 Arts Entertainment also serve as executive producers. Florida Girls follows a quartet of female friends who are partying under the poverty line while navigating very relatable problems as they try to better their situations. Living in a dilapidated beach town full of alcoholics, these street-wise women haphazardly attempt to find self-worth and learn to "adult" in a society that deems poor, uneducated women as valueless. Their backbone ultimately lies within their tight-knit, non-judgmental and loving friendship.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Friday, December 8
CBS announced the new entertainment special Norman Lear: A Life on Television, to air tonight - Friday, Dec. 8 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs). Presented by Entertainment Tonight, this one-hour special features new interviews with stars of the long-running comedies Lear created, including Jimmie Walker from Good Times and Mackenzie Phillips from One Day at a Time, in addition to never-before-seen interviews from the ET vault. Also included with this new footage and interviews is an in-depth sit-down interview with Lear that ET host Kevin Frazier conducted when Lear celebrated his 100th birthday, in which he reflected on his lengthy, groundbreaking career.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 4)
Friday, December 8
- Eddie Murphy (The PJs) - Watch Eddie on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Only Murders in the Building/High Fidelity/People of Earth/Selfie) - Da'Vine appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- John Caponera (The Good Life) - John is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
- Robert Smigel (Let's Be Real) - Triumph the Insult Comic Dog aka Robert Smigel chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Noah Galvin (The Real O'Neals) and Molly Gordon (Ramy) - Noah and Molly talk about Theater Camp on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Eric Stonestreet (The Santa Clauses/Modern Family) - Eric talks about The Santa Clauses on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan sits down with Sherri to talk about his new book, When I Was Your Age, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Sebastian Maniscalco (Bookie) - Sebastian appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (September-December)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
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