Apple TV+ has announced the premiere date for Season 2 of its murder mystery comedy series “The Afterparty.” The series is set to return on Wednesday, June 12 with two brand new episodes, followed by one weekly episode every Wednesday through September 6.
From Chris Miller and Phil Lord, “The Afterparty” is a genre-bending comedy that stars Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson and Zoë Chao. With a new murder case being introduced in Season 2, joining the show are Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods, Paul Walter Hauser, Poppy Liu, Anna Konkle, Jack Whitehall, Vivian Wu, John Cho and Ken Jeong.
When a wedding is ruined after the groom is murdered, every guest becomes a suspect in the case. Detective Danner (Haddish) swoops in to help Aniq (Richardson) and Zoë (Chao) solve this eerie wedding murder mystery by questioning family members, past lovers, businesses partners and more by hearing their individual sides of the story.
“The Afterparty” is produced for Apple by TriStar TV and Sony Pictures Television as part of Lord and Miller’s five-year overall television deal. Season 2 is co-showrun by Miller and Anthony King, with both serving as executive producers. Miller executive produces alongside Lord through the pair’s production banner, Lord Miller. Lord Miller’s SVP of television Aubrey Lee is a producer on the series.
GREENLIGHTS
National Geographic and BBC Studios have greenlit “Lost Gold,” a new three-part limited series that chronicles the life of scientist and explorer Tommy Thompson. “Lost Gold” brings author Gary Kinder’s non-fiction book, “Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea” to life and on the small screen.
The series will trace the rise and fall of Thompson, detailing his discovery of S.S. Central America shipwreck and three tons of gold, which ultimately led to his prison sentence. Through 600 hours of archive footage, prints, photos and newspaper clippings, “Lost Gold” will tell the story of Thompson’s extraordinary expedition, turbulent litigation and eventual prison sentence.
From National Geographic Content, “Lost Gold” will be produced in partnership with BBC Studios’ documentary Unit. For BBC Studios, Alexander Leith serves as executive producer, Georgia Braham as producer and Sam Benstead as the director. For National Geographic Content, Chris Kugelman serves as executive producer and Tom McDonald as commissioner.
HONORS
Shonda Rhimes is set to receive the BAFTA Special Award on May 3. The award-winning television creator and producer will be celebrated during an exclusive tribute event in New York City, that will feature Rhimes in a fireside chat and cocktail reception.
Rhimes has been awarded the BAFTA special award for her significant and inspiring contribution to television, through the creation and production of five of her acclaimed series, “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Scandal” “How To Get Away with Murder” and “Bridgerton.”
“We are honored to be presenting a BAFTA mask to such a deeply respected and admired artist. Shonda’s trailblazing work has captured our hearts and inspired audiences around the world. As a groundbreaking producer, showrunner and writer, her impact on the landscape of modern global television is simply unparalleled,” said Kathryn Busby, chair of the BAFTA North America board.
TRAILERS
Disney+ has released the first official trailer for new original series “The Muppets Mayhem.” The upcoming musical series will premiere with all episodes on May 10, exclusively on Disney+.
“The Muppets Mayhem” follows The Electric Mayhem Band, Dr. Teeth, Animal, Floyd Pepper, Janice and Zoot, as they record their first-ever studio album with help from music executive, Nora Singh (Lily Singh).
In addition to the Mayhem band, the series will include a slew of guest stars, including Paula Abdul, Steve Aoki, David Bizarro, Rachel Bloom, Nicole Byer, Sofia Carson, Charlamagne Tha God, Tommy Chong, Billy Corgan, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, deadmau5, Desiigner, Colton Dunn, Morgan Freeman, Susanna Hoffs, James Hong, Jennifer Irwin, Karamo, Kesha, Tommy Lee, Lil Nas X, Riki Lindhome, Cheech Marin, Ziggy Marley, Jack McBrayer, Arden Myrin, Nico Santos, Kristen Schaal, Ben Schwartz, Ryan Seacrest, Kevin Smith, Chris Stapleton, Danny Trejo, Joe Lo Truglio, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Cedric Yarbrough and Zedd.
Developed, written and executive produced by Adam F. Goldberg and Bill Barretta, the series’ executive music producer is songwriter hall of fame inductee Linda Perry. Jeff Yorkes, Michael Bostick, Kris Eber, David Lightbody and Leigh Slaughter serve alongside Goldberg and Barretta as executive producers.
See below for the “The Muppets Mayhem” official trailer.
CASTING
La La Anthony, Charlamagne That God, Colson Baker (aka Machine Gun Kelly) and Steve Buscemi are among the guest stars set to appear on Pete Davidson’s upcoming comedy series “Bupkis.”
The series, which premieres May 4 on Peacock, will also feature guest turns by Bobby Cannavale, Philip Ettinger, Al Gore, Paul Walter Hauser, Sunita Mani, John Mulaney, Oona Roche, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Jon Stewart and Marissa Jaret Winokur.
Previously announced guest stars include Charlie Day, Brad Garrett, Simon Rex, Ray Romano, Kenan Thompson and Chase Sui Wonders.
“Bupkis” is an eight episode comedy series that Davidson will star in. Davidson, too, serves as writer and executive producer. Aside from himself, series regulars include Edie Falco and Joe Pesci. The show is a fictionalized retelling of Davidson’s life as he navigates family dynamics, fame and relationships.
Judah Miller serves as showrunner of the series in addition to writer and executive producer alongside Dave Sirus. Lorne Micheals, Andrew Singer and Erin David, too, join “Bupkis” as executive producers.
DATES
A brand new season of HGTV’s “Celebrity IOU” will return with eight episodes on Monday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET
The show spotlights Hollywood A-listers as they give the gift of a home renovation to someone special in their lives. Drew and Jonathan Scott guide celebrities as they “jump in with sledgehammers, power tools and pure muscle to demo and design” to show their gratefulness to the people around them.
“The celebrities we partner with are incredibly genuine—they want to do something kind for the people who have given so much to them and others,” said Jonathan Scott. Added Drew Scott: “They all put in the time to make the renovations perfect for the recipients, and working on these projects together is both fun and challenging. And, above all, the stories are just so heartfelt.”
The celebrity lineup for this season of “Celebrity IOU” includes Kristin Chenoweth, Glenn Close, Kristin Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Derek and Julianne Hough, Heidi Klum, Jay Leno and Emma Roberts.
Drew and Jonathan Scott both serve as executive producers. “Celebrity IOU” is produced by Scott Brothers Entertainment.
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TNT has announced an official premiere date for its scripted action thriller “The Lazarus Project,” which was previously set to come out earlier this year.
“The Lazarus Project” will make its debut on Sunday, June 4 at 9 p.m. ET. The eight-hour drama will follow the story of George, The Lazarus Project’s latest recruit. The organization holds the power to travel back in time at any moment when the world may be on the brink of extinction. When one of George’s closest friends suffers an accident, he has to answer the question — “if you had the power to re-write your past, what would you sacrifice to do it?”
The television series was originally set to release on Jan. 8 but was shelved by its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, as it continues to adjust its linear network strategy. “The Lazarus Project” was acquired from the U.K.’s Sky Max, which aired Season 1 in June 2022. The show is now one of the few original scripted series left on TNT, as WBD has wiped most of the original fare off of TBS/TNT in favor of mostly acquired movies and TV repeats, along with sports.
Emmy-winning and BAFTA-nominated actor Paapa Essiedu stars in the series alongside Anjli Mohindra, Tom Burke, Caroline Quentin, Rudi Dharmalingam and Charly Clive. “The Lazarus Project” is produced by Urban Myth Films in association with Sky Studios. Executive Producers are Julian Murphy, Johnny Capps and Joe Barton. Paul Gilbert executive produces for Sky Studios.
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Paramount+’s drama “Joe Pickett” will return for its second season with two brand new episodes on Sunday, June 4 on the streamer in the U.S. and Canada. The platform alsoreleased a teaser trailer for the upcoming new season ahead of its release date. After its premiere, “Joe Pickett” new episodes will drop weekly on Paramount+.
During Season 2, Joe Pickett (Michael Dorman) comes across a hunter whose been murdered in the mountains. He quickly realizes that this murder is one of many that he decides he will get to the bottom of. Joe and his wife, Marybeth (Julianna Guill), work together with an anti-hunting activist and a ghoulish set of twins to solve the murder, to which they find out the murdered men weren’t as innocent as they once believed.
“Joe Pickett” comes from showrunners and executive producers John Erick and Drew Dowdle. Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher serve as executive producers for Red Wagon Entertainment. The series is based on C.J. Box’s bestselling book series of the same name, to which he also serves as an executive producer on the TV adaption.
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CBS’ new musical game show “Superfan” will premiere June 9, and will feature artists Kelsea Ballerini, Gloria Estefan, Little Big Town, LL Cool J, Pitbull and Shania Twain. The six-episode series will be hosted by Nate Burleson of “CBS Mornings” and Keltie Knight.
“Superfan” gives contestants the chance to prove that they are an artist’s number one fan, with each episode featuring one of the six stars who will decide which individual they believe is their superfan.
“Nate and Keltie will take you on a fun ride each week with a global music superstar in an exhilarating contest to crown the ultimate superfan, which audiences can play along with at home,” said Jack Sussman, executive vice president of specials, music, live events and alternative programming for CBS.
“Viewers will also be treated to an exclusive medley of hits performed by these mega musicians, which will feel all the more special when performed for their most passionate fans.”
The show is produced by Raquel Productions, Inc., Jodie Roth, Keltie Knight and Jack Martin. Martin also serves as showrunner.
The show will premiere every Friday at 8 p.m. starting June 9.
DEVELOPMENT
ALLBLK has commissioned “Involved,” its new scripted drama/comedy from singer/songwriter Omarion. The film is based on the artist’s life and will star Omarion as he serves as co-creator and executive producer alongside Tommy Morgan Jr., Kevin G. Boyd, Deji LaRay and Michelle Le Fleur. Bentley Kyle Evans will direct the film while serving as a co-showrunner alongside Boyd.
A national casting call will be held as a part of ALLBLK and the American Black Film Festival’s “Shoot Your Shot,” which will take place over the June 2023 festival in Miami Beach. Lance Gross (“House of Payne” and “Sleepy Hollow”) will take part as the celebrity reader during the casting call.
“Involved” follows the story of OB Sharp, a boyband superstar that finds himself wanting to exit the group to spend more time with his child and to foster a greater co-parenting relationship with his child’s mother. OB Sharp finds his once platonic friendship with Maya turning more intimate when they meet Edy, a flower shop owner with a freeing outlook on life. Quickly, these three turn into a throuple, and OB Sharp has to face the conflict that comes with his new relationships, family dynamics and business ventures.
“When it comes to forming new ideas, establishing new norms and shaping our thinking, nothing affects us more than the images and concepts delivered into our lives daily by television and film,” said Omarion. “‘Involved’ is intended to inspire, shift and impact the culture of American society’s thinking and understanding of special family dynamics. There is no better way for us to learn about and observe these cultural diversities than through the medium of entertainment.”
EXECUTIVE NEWS
Nielsen’s Gracenote is set to join forces with the Entertainment ID Registry board. The new partnership will help the entertainment and media industries better their workflows in the streaming age by improving automating, discoverability and return on content investments.
“As a customer-first organization, Gracenote continually seeks new ways to meet the needs of our valued clients and the broader media and entertainment industry,” said Filiz Bahmanpour, the vice president of product at Gracenote.
“We are enthusiastic about joining the EIDR Board and will use this seat at the table to open conversations with the industry on how we can work together to bring incremental value.”
EIDR is a systematic global media registry of audio-visual objects that assigns media with unique identifiers. Gracenote provides metadate for audio-visual media and provides automatic content recognition to companies around the world.
The announcement comes ahead of the Las Vegas National Association of Broadcasters show, where both Gracenote and EIDR will be in attendance.
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Jen Reberger has rejoined Disney Entertainment Television as senior vice president of human resources. Dana Walden, chairman of Disney Entertainment, made the announcement on Tuesday.
Reberger previously worked for the company for 15 years. In her new role, she will be responsible for all human resources business support, along with “diversity, equity and inclusion efforts; employee development and engagement; recruitment and compensation; talent acquisition; learning and talent development; and employee relations for our full portfolio of brands and groups,” said Walden in a note to her team.
Reberger replaces Sonia Coleman, who has been named senior executive vice president and chief human resources officer.
“As Sonia transitions into her new position, our goal was to find someone who could quickly step into her old role, working with all of us, and I have no doubt that Jen is that person. She is accustomed to our business and how we function, and many of you already have a relationship with her,” Walden wrote.
“I’m confident that Jen will continue to build on the foundation laid during her previous tenure here and be instrumental in helping pave an exciting path forward.”
Reberger rejoins Disney from her previous human resources role at Medtronic. Her first day will be May 1.
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Nielsen’s Gracenote will be joining forces with the Entertainment ID Registry board. The new partnership will help the entertainment and media industries better their workflows in the streaming age by improving automating, discoverability and return on content investments.
“As a customer-first organization, Gracenote continually seeks new ways to meet the needs of our valued clients and the broader media and entertainment industry,” said Filiz Bahmanpour, the vice president of product at Gracenote.
“We are enthusiastic about joining the EIDR Board and will use this seat at the table to open conversations with the industry on how we can work together to bring incremental value.”
EIDR is a systematic global media registry of audio-visual objects that assigns media with unique identifiers. Gracenote provides metadate for audio-visual media and provides automatic content recognition to companies around the world.
The announcement comes ahead of the Las Vegas National Association of Broadcasters show, where both Gracenote and EIDR will be in attendance.
RENEWALS
Following the success of the “Die Hart 2: Die Harter” weekend premiere, Roku has greenlit Season 3 of “Die Hart,” again working with Kevin Hart and Hartbeat for comedy series. “Die Hart 2: Die Harter” took the spot as the No. 1 Roku original television series weekend premiere of all time for the channel.
“Die Hart is one of my favorite projects to act in and produce. I am so excited to get back to set to shoot season three,” said Hart. “My fans are the best and their reaction to season two fuels Hartbeat to keep raising the bar on this show. Watch out for what comes next, we are going bigger and better!!”
In this season, Kevin has developed a new action film, but is forced to reckon with revenge brought on by someone from his past. According to the official synopsis, “Kevin must enlist the help of his favorite co-star, Jordan King (Nathalie Emmanuel), his over-eager assistant, Andre (Ben Schwartz), Andre’s mom, Cynthia (Paula Pell), and legendary Hollywood stuntman Mr. 206 (John Cena) if he wants to survive.”
The premiere took place over the March 31 weekend, and nearly doubled its audience numbers from the Season 1 premiere.
“Die Hart 2: Die Harter” is executive produced by Kevin Hart, Jeff Clanagan, Candice Wilson Cherry, Bryan Smiley, Thai Randolph, Mike Stein, Luke Kelly-Clyne, Kevin Healey, Ty Walker, Tripper Clancy and Eric Appel.
PROGRAMMING
Vice President Kamala Harris will join Jennifer Hudson for an interview on her daytime talk show, “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” on April 20.
The vice president’s appearance will mark the first time an elected national leader will be a guest on Hudson’s show, which debuted in September 2022.
Upcoming guests on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” also include Grammy award-winner Seal, NBA all-star Russell Westbrook, Samuel L. Jackson, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Meghan Trainer, Issa Rae and Milo Ventimiglia.
