PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Nickelodeon is developing an animated project, Man of the House (wt), from Norman Lear’s Act III Productions. Concept from Colombian-American writer and illustrator Michael Molina (Trivia Night) follows an 11-year-old helping his mother watch over his siblings as he tries to form a hip-hop group. Lear and Brent Miller (One Day at a Time) will serve as exec producers.
Endemol Shine North America and Major TV have optioned the rights to late Latin superstar Celia Cruz’s autobiography, “Celia: My Life,” with plans to adapt it for a scripted TV series. Kenny Ortega (High School Musical) is onboard as exec producer and director.
NEW & RETURNING SERIES
New unscripted series Miz & Mrs, following the lives of married WWE Superstars The Miz and Maryse, premieres Tuesday, July 24 at 10p on USA.
John Glenn (Allegiance) will serve as showrunner for season two of CBS military drama SEAL Team. Creator/EP Benjamin Cavell and EP Ed Redlich are exiting the show.
The spinoff to Freeform’s The Fosters has a name: Good Trouble. Series follows Callie and Mariana as they embark on the next phase of their lives in LA. Also on Freeform: The Bold Type returns for a new season Tuesday, June 12 with a two-hour premiere starting at 8p.
How sweet it is: Wedding Cake Championship, hosted by Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, debuts on Food Network Monday, June 25 at 9p. Competition series is preceded that night by special Wedding Cake Countdown with Drew and Linda, featuring Property Brother Drew Scott, at 8:30p
Netflix is releasing all 10 episodes of new Matt Groening comedy Disenchantment on August 17. Animated series is set in the crumbling medieval kingdom of Dreamland.
Lifetime is introducing a “Real Love” relationship block this summer, with season seven of Married at First Sight launching Tuesday, July 10 at 8p with a match-making special, followed by a two-hour premiere at 9. Seven Year Switch debuts its third season Tuesday, July 17 at 10p.
Marvel’s Spider-Man returns for season two on Monday, June 18 at 6:30p, in a one-hour telecast on Disney XD, DisneyNOW and Disney XD VOD. New episodes will debut every Monday through August.
Viceland is introducing four new series this summer. Post Radical, focused on the world of skateboarding, launches Tuesday, July 10 at 8p; Hollywood Love Story, hosted by Paris Hilton, debuts Wednesday, July 11 at 10p, followed later that night by science show Mister Tachyon at 11:30p. Previously announced Fighting ISIS, a coproduction with History, arrives Sunday, June 3 at 10p.
Which upcoming series do you think has the best chance for success? Let us know in the Cynopsis poll: http://cynopsis.com/poll/.
COMING UP
Discovery’s “Shark Week” returns for its 30th anniversary Sunday, July 22, running through Sunday, July 29 with appearances by celebs including Ronda Rousey, Aaron Rodgers, Rob Gronkowski, Lindsey Vonn, Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, Daymond John, and Bear Grylls. In addition to groundbreaking research and insights from marine biologists, the week will include stunts like “Shark Tank Meets Shark Week” and “Bear vs Shark.”
Racecar driver Danica Patrick will host The 2018 Espys Presented by Capital One, airing Wednesday, July 16 at 8p on ABC.
E! marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Sex and the City with a three-day binge-a-thon beginning Friday, June 8 at 7p. Action kicks off with a themed episode of E! News at 7p, followed by a 94-episode marathon of the series.
Comedy Central is following up last year’s “Up Next” showcase at Clusterfest, featuring the net’s rising stars, with another stand-up showcase and a variety showcase in San Francisco. The weekend will highlight over 20 comedians with two separate showcases taking place on Friday, June 1, hosted by Chris Redd with special guest Tim Dillon and Saturday, June 2, hosted by Jullian McCollough with special guest Mark Normand. The new variety showcase takes place on Sunday, June 3, hosted by Matthew Broussard.
For the 11th consecutive year, Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night will air during prime time every night of the NBA Finals, beginning with Game One on Thursday, May 31 on ABC. Set to guest are Sandra Bullock, Jamie Foxx, Ryan Gosling, Tiffany Haddish, Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Lopez.
Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther); Seth Rogen and Kristen Bell, from the new comedy Like Father; Mila Kunis (The Spy Who Dumped Me); Zendaya and Gina Rodriguez (Smallfoot); and Common are among the presenters for the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards, airing Monday, June 18 at 9p.
The 2019 Miss America Competition will mark the “dawning of a new day,” promises ABC, highlighting women “from all walks of life who are advancing the message of female empowerment.” Two-hour show airs live Sunday, September 9.
El Rey Network celebrates Memorial Day weekend with all 100 episodes of Stargate: Atlantis, beginning Friday, May 25 at 4p. The U.S. TV premiere of Starhunter Redux airs Tuesday, May 29 at 8p.
CASTING
James Cromwell (American Horror Story) has been cast in a recurring role on season two of Starz drama Counterpoint.,,,Paul Ritter (Electric Dreams), Jessie Buckley (Taboo), Adrian Rawlins (War and Peace) and Con O’Neill (Happy Valley) are onboard HBO miniseries Chernobyl….Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City) has joined the cast of CBS All Access psychological thriller Tell Me a Story….Regina King (Ray), Don Johnson (Miami Vice), Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother, Where Art Thou?),Louis Gosset Jr. (Roots), Adelaide Clemens (Justify) and Andrew Hoard (Hatfields and McCoys) have been added to the cast of HBO pilot Watchmen.
ADVERTISING
Consulting firm Accenture Interactive is entering the digital ad buying space with the launch of a Programmatic Services division. “Advertisers are reacting to the changing media landscape and they want to move beyond the status quo and take back control of their media capability,” said Scott Tieman, global lead of programmatic services. “We believe we can help our clients do things differently.”
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is launching The Work, a digital database offering ways to search over 200,000 global pieces of creative work, playlists and spotlights on the work of individual brands and agencies. “The Work brings a unique and fundamental digital platform to the market which offers more intelligent and efficient ways of working, to increase creative output and ultimately, drive better business,” said Phillip Thomas, CEO, Ascential Events chairman-elect, Cannes Lions. The Work will officially launch at the Cannes Lions festival next month.
DIGITAL DATA
Microsoft says it will extend the consumer privacy rights that are at the heart of GDPR worldwide. “As an EU regulation, GDPR created important new rights specifically for individuals in the European Union,” write corporate VP and deputy general counsel Julie Brill in a blog post. “But we believe GDPR establishes important principles that are relevant globally.” Brill adds that Microsoft has been advocating for national privacy legislation in the U.S. since 2005.
AirTV has launched a new solution that wirelessly streams free local channels to internet-connected TVs and mobile devices, in and out of the home. Free local channels are available for viewing via the Sling TV or AirTV app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and iOS and Android phones and tablets. Local channel availability depends on the OTA signal availability at the user’s home location. “Our new AirTV solution solves two problems: first, it blends free local channels with OTT television, something customers have demanded since the advent of streaming,” said Mitch Weinraub, director of product development for AirTV. “And, because it’s a Wi-Fi-enabled device, you can power your entire home with one OTA antenna, simplifying the installation process.”
SuchApp, the messenger service powered by blockchain technology, will be integrating the Bancor Protocol into their platform to ensure that all users are offered continuous liquidity when sending and receiving SP Tokens. By April 2019, SuchApp is expected to reach three million users.
“The linear model is dead,” said Verizon CEO chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam in an interview with Yahoo Finance. Rather than create its own vMVPD service, the company plans to partner with an existing MVPD, contribute Oath-branded content and deliver it via 5G. “Our view is that we should partner with those that are in the linear game, let them be very good at what they do,” said McAdam. “We’ll add digital content to that mix.”
Boomerang is adding to its content offerings with new series including Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? and Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs!. The streamer greenlit season three of Bunnicula, and season two of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz kicks off with a Memorial Day movie special. Wacky Races was also picked up for season two, which launches later in 2018.
YouTube TV has been added to Nielsen’s local audience ratings, a development local broadcasters have been “eagerly anticipating,” said Jeff Wender, managing director of Nielsen Local. “We’re excited to be able to help local media buyers and sellers capture digital audiences, as well as provide advertisers a full account of all viewing activity, irrespective of distribution channel.”
Hulu struck a deal with STX Entertainment for the Uglydolls franchise, including an order for a 26-episode animated series and SVOD rights for the upcoming film.
GOING GLOBAL
Gunpowder & Sky has partnered with Sky Arts for its first international project, Sounds Like a Home, a documentary chronicling the story of Sofar Sounds’ and Amnesty International’s Give a Home Project, and the effort to bring attention to the global refugee crisis. Doc will be released on Sky Arts on Monday, May 28 at 6:30p, in honor of Amnesty International Day, and Wednesday, June 20, in honor of World Refugee Day.
