Season 5 of “Love Island USA” is set to premiere on July 18 exclusively on Peacock, the streamer announced Wednesday.
The fifth season of “Love Island USA” will take place in Fiji with an all-new group of singles. Throughout the season, islanders will compete in challenges, face temptations and forge new relationships. Each week, new episodes will be available for streaming six days a week.
“Love Island USA” stands as Peacock’s most-streamed original reality competition series, heightening the anticipation for the show’s fifth season. David George, Adam Sher, Simon Thomas, Ben Thursby-Palmer, Andy Cadman, Iona Mackenzie and Claudine Parrish serve as executive producers, alongside Tom Gould, Richard Cowles, Mike Spencer, Richard Foster and Chet Fenster. The series is produced by ITV Entertainment.
Watch the concept trailer below.
GREENLIGHTS
Roku greenlit “Empty Nest Refresh,” a new home renovation series hosted by Liza Koshy and featuring design expert Orlando Soria.
The six-episode series will follow six different young adults as they move out of their parents’ homes and work with Soria, Koshy and the “Empty Nest Refresh” team to renovate their childhood bedrooms into a dream space for their parents.
“Reimagining your space is a cathartic way to welcome a fresh start. We can’t wait to meet the families of ‘Empty Nest Refresh’ and use design to help them embrace transition and navigate change,” said Soria.
Koshy added, “Moving out of your family home is a big step in your ‘adulting’ journey! It’s equally emotional and exciting for both parents and kids, as both prepare to enter the next chapter of their lives.”
The upcoming unscripted series is executive produced by Velvet Hammer Media Co-CEOs, Jennifer O’Connell and Rebecca Quinn, alongside Koshy, co-executive producer Nick Alarcon and showrunner Dean Ollins.
FIRST LOOKS
Prime Video has released the first look teaser of the upcoming docu-series, “One Shot: Overtime Elite.”
The new docu-series follows brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson, who made NBA history as the first brothers recruited in the top five during the same draft cycle. Throughout the six-part series, audiences will receive a behind-the-scenes peek into the brothers’ pursuit of careers in professional basketball and their experiences within the Overtime Elite league, the professional basketball league for 16-20 year olds around the globe.
“One Shot: Overtime Elite” will premiere later this fall on exclusively on Prime Video. Check out the official teaser below.
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Showtime’s “The Chi” is set to premiere its sixth season on Friday, August 4 via Paramount+ and on demand ahead of its on-air debut Sunday, August 6 at 9 p.m., the network announced Wednesday.
Following a series high in streaming numbers for its fifth season, “The Chi” was allowed a one-time expansion of 16 episodes that are set to be split into two eight-episode installments. The second half of Season 6 will premiere at a later date.
“‘The Chi’ is Showtime at its best – complex characters and sophisticated storytelling that leave our viewers wanting more, which is why we’ve expanded this season to its biggest yet,” said Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks.
Season six cast includes Jacob Latimore, Alex Hibbert, Yolonda Ross, Shamon Brown Jr., Michael V. Epps, Birgundi Baker, Luke James and Curtiss Cook. Kandi Burruss, Vic Mensa, Carolyn Michelle Smith, Jason Weaver, Iman Shumpert, Nia Jervier, L’lerrét Jazelle, Hannaha Hall, Ahmad Ferguson, Genesis Denise Hale, Joel Steingold, Judae’a Brown, Miriam A. Hyman, Tyla Abercrumbie, Tai Davis, Rolando Boyce and Tory O. Davis are among the guest stars for the new season.
Lena Waithe created and executive produces the series alongside executive producers Common, Aaron Kaplan, Rick Famuyiwa, Derek Dudley, Shelby Stone and Rishi Rajani. Executive Producers Justin Hillian and Jewel Coronel are co-showrunners for season six. Producers Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield are set to direct multiple episodes in season six.
Check out the official teaser below.
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Anthony Anderson, Cynthia Bailey, Gina Rodriguez and Reggie Bush are of the announced celebrity clients set to be featured on Season 2 of Amazon Freevee’s “Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis.”
Jeff Lewis is back for a second season of his home renovation show that features some of Hollywood’s brightest stars. Lewis’ team is comprised of Megan Weaver, Tyler Meyerkorth, Andrew Coleman and Shane Douglas, with the season sporting an all-new slate of celebrity talent looking for a revamping of their homes.
Aside from Anderson, Bailey, Rodriguez and Bush, stars Noah Beck, Kate Bosworth, Josh Duhamel, Sara Foster, Regina Hall and Christina Ricci will be featured in the season.
Lewis, Allison Grodner, Rich Meehan, and showrunner Michael Beck serve as executive producers of “Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis. Janelle Couture-Rattet serves as executive producer of post-production and Jen Green serves as executive producer of field production.
Check out a sneak peek of the season below.
SPECIALS
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will hold a live town hall on June 28 from 9 to 10:30 p.m. ET. to discuss his 2024 presidential bid with potential voters of South Carolina and New Hampshire. The town hall will be hosted and broadcast by NewsNation.
The 90-minute live event will be Kennedy, Jr.’s first town hall with a national news network. Recently, the he announced his separation from his wife, actor Cheryl Hines, in an effort to protect her from any backlash in his political career — which has already begun. RFK Jr. has been facing criticism over his controversial views on vaccinations, anti-depressants, gun control and other issues.
The town hall will be moderated by news anchor Elizabeth Vargas. In her career, Vargas has profiled numerous presidential candidates and other government figures including Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Will Hurd, former defense secretary Leon Panetta, former chief medical advisor to the president Dr. Anthony Fauci and former secretary of defense Mark Esper. She also co-anchored ABC’s “World News Tonight” and was host of primetime program “20/20” for 15 years.
The NewsNation cast will be followed by a special addition of Chris Cuomo’s “Cuomo” and will re-air the town hall at 11 p.m. ET.
CASTING
Ashleigh Hairston, Eric Bauza, David Errigo Jr. and Tessa Netting have joined the new voice cast of “Tiny Toons Looniversity,” the animated reboot of the original “Tiny Toon Adventures.”
“Tiny Toons Looniversity” is set to star a brand new generation of toon stars as they attend Acme Looniversity. The Cartoon Network and Max series is set to feature other Looney Tunes and Tiny Tunes alumni as the freshman class studies under their guidance.
Jeff Bergman, Bob Bergen and Candi Milo reprise their roles as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Dean Granny, respectively. Bergman, too, voices Sylvester and Foghorn Leghorn, with Milo also voicing Witch Hazel. Eric Bauza voices Daffy Duck and Gossamer, and Fred Tatasciore voices Taz and Yosemite Sam.
Steven Spielberg serves as executive producer alongside Sam Register, Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank. Erin Gibson joins as showrunner and co-executive producer, while Nate Cash serves as a co-executive producer.
PARTNERSHIPS
TikTok and Candle Media are launching a joint premium content and branded entertainment partnership, the companies announced Tuesday.
Together, TikTok and Candle Media will be creating opportunities for underrepresented TikTok creators that will utilize Candle’s storytelling capabilities. Hello Sunshine, one of Candle’s leading businesses, will serve as a key element in the joint partnership to “uncover underrepresented independent authors and literary material from the vibrant #BookTok community.”
“TikTok continues to experience explosive growth, and has become a critical platform for storytelling and marketing,” said Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, co-founders and CEO’s of Candle Media. “We are thrilled to work with the TikTok team to create compelling branded content, and for Hello Sunshine to shine a light on the thriving #BookTok community, which is home to a new generation of storytellers.”
TikTok will uplift Hello Sunshine’s LitUp Writer Fellowship Program which provides funding, mentorship and marketing to underrepresented women storytellers.
“We are thrilled to work with TikTok and the #BookTok community to expand our LitUp initiative, where we will work together to continue identifying, elevating and amplifying underrepresented storytellers and bring their stories to life,” said Reese Witherspoon, co-founder of Hello Sunshine.
AWARDS
Crunchyroll Anime Awards are set to return to Tokyo on March 2, 2024. The live ceremony will be hosted by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira at the Hotel Shin Takanawa. The awards recognize the creators, performers and other important roles in global anime production.
“The Anime Awards are the first and only global awards show dedicated to the craft of anime, and we can’t wait to celebrate this year’s series, films, and music chosen by the global fans,” said Rahul Purini, president of Crunchyroll. “It was an easy decision to return and allow global fans to share their love and admiration directly with anime’s creative community. We’re thrilled to spotlight the creators, storytellers and our trusted partners in Japan for all that they do for anime fans.”
Nominees and voting for the awards is set to open in early 2024. Fans from over 200 countries are welcomed to vote for nominees across 30 anime studios, eight streamers and more than 50 series and films.
EVENTS
WME and the Writers Guild Foundation co-hosted a workshop at WME’s Beverly Hills office this Thursday for emerging writers.
The event’s mission centered in on providing opportunities for the next generation of creative writers. Participants included a slate of 32 aspiring filmmakers and writers hailing from local non-profits Black Girls Film Camp, Scout Film Festival, The Writers Guild Foundation, The Ghetto Film School, Get Lit and Diverso participated in the event.
A slate of WME clients came together to engage in a panel discussion with scripted TV partner Ryan Draizin and motion picture agent McCall Koenig while also leading breakout sessions.
Panel discussions included conversations with Annie Julia Wyman (“Welcome to Chippendales,” “The Chair”), Ash Perez (“Good Trouble,” “Home Economics”), Chad Hodge (“Single All the Way”), Eliza Clark (“Y: The Last Man”), Leah Rachel (“Chambers”), Maurice Williams (“Entergalactic”) and Natalie Krinsky (“The Broken Hearts Gallery”).
Breakout sessions paired each writer with participants to discuss varying topics following the panel discussion.
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Caroline Hirsch and her beloved New York comedy club, Carolines on Broadway, are being honored in a new exhibition at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y. Hirsch and Journey Gunderson, executive director of the NCC, cut the ribbon at the exhibition’s public opening.
The exhibition celebrates 40 years of Carolines as a staple in Manhattan and a mainstay for stand-up comedians including icons like Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, Billy Crystal, Bill Burr and Michael Che.
Before cementing its location in Times Square in 1992, Carolines’ classic harlequin sign graced Chelsea and South Street Seaport. Now, the comedy club live in the NCC where visitors of the exhibit are welecomed to take photos in front of Carolines’ iconic stage backdrop.
PROGRAMMING
Disney+ series “American Born Chinese” is set to make its broadcast premiere on ABC, and be available to stream on Hulu, YouTube and Roku. See below for the “American Born Chinese” programming schedule:
ABC: Saturday, June 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT – Episode 1
Hulu: Monday, June 26 – Sunday, July 9 – Episodes 1-3
YouTube: Wednesday, June 21 at 9am to Sunday, July 23 – Episode 1
Roku: Monday, June 26 – Monday, July 10 – Episodes 1-3
The series is based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel of the same name and follows an American teenager, Jin Wang, who suddenly befriends the son of a mythological god. As the season continues, Jin embarks on a journey grappling with his identity and facing “the supernatural elements of ‘Chinese mythology.’”
“American Born Chinese” stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Ben Wang, Yeo Yann Yann, Jimmy Liu and Sydney Taylor. Kelvin Yu serves as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan, Erin O’Malley, Gene Luen Yang and director Destin Daniel Cretton.
