Thursday, October 01, 2020
NBC's Young Rock Announces Cast; OWN Gets Digital Comedy

Below is the cast for the new NBC comedy Young Rock, which focuses on different chapters of Dwayne Johnson's life. From growing up in a strong and resilient family, to being surrounded by the wild characters of his professional wrestling family, to playing football at the University of Miami, the show will explore the crazy rollercoaster that has shaped Dwayne into the man he is today and the larger-than-life characters he's met along the way. The series will premiere in 2021.
· Adrian Groulx as Dwayne Johnson (AKA Dewey), Age 10 - Honest, headstrong, impressionable and bold.
· Bradley Constant as Dwayne Johnson, Age 15 - Doing his best to fit in as a normal teenager but puberty has other ideas. His size and full mustache have his classmates convinced he's an undercover cop.
· Uli Latukefu as Dwayne Johnson, Age 18-20 - Has just been recruited to play football on a full scholarship at powerhouse University of Miami. Though a super-star talent, a devastating injury his freshman year puts his life at a crossroads.
· Stacey Leilua as Ata Johnson, Dwayne's mother - Grew up in a first generation pro wrestling family. A strong woman, both by nature and necessity, she's a hopeful positive force in young Dwayne's life.
· Joseph Lee Anderson as Rocky Johnson, Dwayne's father - Charismatic and charming, the pro wrestling champion juggles the ups and downs of his career with being a well-intentioned, but unorthodox, husband and father.
· Ana Tuisila as Lia Maivia, Ata's mother and Dwayne's grandmother. The first female pro-wrestling promoter in the country. A sweet loving grandmother and when need be, a cutthroat, ruthless businesswoman.
The series will be executive produced by Nahnatchka Khan, Dwayne Johnson, Jeff Chiang, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Brian Gewirtz and Jennifer Carreras. Jeffrey Walker serves as producer director / co-EP. The pilot was co-written by Khan and Chiang. Johnson will appear in each episode as the focus and inspiration of the series will be about his formative years. Universal Television, Seven Bucks Productions and Fierce Baby Productions will produce. Johnson and Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions is a global entertainment force with film revenues exceeding $10 billion worldwide. Johnson recently starred in Jumanji: The Next Level, which has grossed nearly $800 million worldwide, and will next star in Disney's Jungle Cruise.
Writer/director/showrunner Khan's Fierce Baby Productions is a film and TV production company focused on amplifying new voices and perspectives in both comedy and drama. Khan is the creator and executive producer of the groundbreaking ABC television series Fresh Off the Boat, which recently ended its six-year run, and previously Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23, which ran for two seasons on ABC.
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced its first ever digital animated short-form comedy series Sincerely, Camille from creator Munirah Safiyah Jones (Junt Land). A key component to the network's OWN YOUR VOTE nonpartisan get-out-the-vote initiative, the six-part original series offers a humorous, irreverent, and informative take on politics and the issues impacting Black women in the lead-up to the 2020 November election. The first two episodes launched Tuesday, September 29, on Twitter and is also available across OWN's digital platforms and the network's Watch OWN App as of yesterday, Wednesday, September 30. Subsequent episodes, each approximately five minutes in length, will roll out twice weekly.
Sincerely, Camille follows a trio of women - Camille, Staci, and Sara - navigating life, work and relationships in the throes of the 2020 presidential election cycle. Three friends, three different viewpoints, three varying approaches to evoking civic participation. The series follows the women's efforts to get their communities informed, engaged, and inspired to act in one of the most important elections in American history. The satirical series provides powerful insight and edgy social commentary on the current political climate and the choices Black women face this fall.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, July 25
Happy's Place - "Mama Drama" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Isabella's mom, Maritza, arrives, Bobbie tells the crew she's forgiven her for what happened with Happy, only to realize Maritza holds a grudge against her; Emmett and Takoda try to find out why Steve can't return to his home in Colombia.
Happy's Place - "Accountability" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Isabella accidentally implies she doesn't trust Steve's work on the tavern's taxes, Bobbie and Steve decide to have some fun and teach her a lesson; Gabby goes on a health kick enlisting Takoda as her personal trainer.
Electric Bloom - "How We Made a Tiny Mistake" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Follows a girl band since they met in middle school to present day, learning how their pre-famous lives go on to fuel their future musical chart toppers.
Electric Bloom - "How We Found a Howie" (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Follows a girl band since they met in middle school to present day, learning how their pre-famous lives go on to fuel their future musical chart toppers.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 21)
Friday, July 25
- Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood/The Last O.G./The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Watch Cedric on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) - Jeremy is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Timothy Olyphant (Stick/Santa Clarita Diet) - Timothy appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Emily Ratajkowski (Too Much) - Emily is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear/Girls) - Ebon talks about The Fantastic Four: First Steps on a repeat of ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Leanne Morgan (Leanne) - Leanne talks about Neflix's Leanne on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Kristen Johnston (Leanne/Mom/The Exes/3rd Rock from the Sun) - Kristen talks about Netflix's Leanne on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Tony Danza (Taxi/Who's the Boss?/Hudson Street/The Tony Danza Show) - Tony talks about his brand-new show Tony Danza: Sinatra & Stories on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Michael Jai White (Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse) - Michael is a guest on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
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