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
Sunday, April 28
The Simpsons - "Frinkenstein's Monster" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Professor Frink secretly helps Homer land a high-level position at a state-of-the-art nuclear plant; since Homer lacks the skills to actually perform the job, Frink comes to fear he's created a monster.
Krapopolis - "Prince Hippo" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Atlanteans approach Krapopolis, Shlub reveals that Hippocampus is technically the king of Atlantis; a priestess visits Deliria and offers her services.
The Great North - "Any Court in a Storm Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When a blizzard snows the Tobin family in, Beef struggles to avoid cabin fever by running the household like the Royal British Navy.
Grimsburg - "And the Winner Is… Murder!" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Marvin finds himself at the judging table of the town's talent show when a serial killer targets the winner.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 22)
Friday, April 26
- Ernie Hudson (Grace and Frankie/The Last Precinct/Highcliffe Manor) - Ernie and Bill Murray are guests on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Steve Buscemi (Miracle Workers) - Steve appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Jerrod Carmichael (The Carmichael Show) - Jerrod is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Fred Armisen (Los Espookys/Forever/Final Space) - Fred sits in with The 8G Band on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Retta (Parks and Recreation) - Retta talks about HGTV's Ugliest House in America on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Janet Jackson (Diff'rent Strokes/Good Times) - Drew and Ross are surprised by Janet whose telling them all about her new tour, some of her most iconic moments and fashion looks and more on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jessica Capshaw (Odd Man Out) and Camilla Luddington (Californication) - Jessica and Camilla are guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD/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
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
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