Television

TV Bits: 'Katy Keene', Hulu, 'Weakest Link', 'Tig N' Seek', Michael Che, 'Briarpatch'

briarpatch trailer
By Chris Evangelista

In this edition of TV Bits:

  • Katy Keene has been canceled by the CW.
  • Hulu has its own awards for animation now.
  • Uh...anyone want a Weakest Link reboot?
  • Watch a trailer for animated series Tig N' Seek.
  • HBO Max has ordered a Michael Che sketch comedy show.
  • Briarpatch canceled by USA Network.

    • Riverdale spin-of Katy Keene is no more. The CW has canceled the series starring Lucy Hale, but it might find new life on another network. Reports indicate that Warner Bros. Television, the studio that makes the show, will begin shopping Katy Keene around with hopes of finding a new home. The series followed "the origins and struggles of four aspiring artists trying to attain successful careers on Broadway, on the runway, and in the recording studio," and premiered in February of this year.

    Hulu has gone ahead and come up with their own awards show for adult animation. The HAHA Awards will be the first-ever awards honoring all things adult animation, and will feature categories like "Best Show," "Most Insulting Insult," and "Best Fart Performance." "As the streaming TV leader in adult animation content, we're particularly proud of the diversity of voices, shows, and storytelling displayed by the first-ever HAHA Award nominees," said Ryan Crosby, VP, Hulu Marketing. "Frame by frame, adult animation captures the most iconic characters, funniest catchphrases, and real-life storylines, so we wanted to recognize some of the industry's very best in a way that only Hulu could." Hulu subscribers and non-subscribers can cast votes for their favorites in all categories on the official awards website or via a poll on Hulu's Twitter channel through July 19. All winners will be announced on July 23.

    The game show The Weakest Link is coming back with a new host. Per TV Line, Jane Lynch will host the new version of the show which promises to "deliver the fast-paced and quick-witted pillars of the original British format created by the BBC with a few modern twists. The hybrid game show sees contestants answer general knowledge questions to bank prize money across multiple rounds. At the end of each round, the contestants vote out who they perceive to be the Weakest Link remaining." No word yet on when we'll see the series, but NBC has already given a greenlight to 13 episodes.

    I don't know when it happened, but at some point, everyone got together and said: "What if we made all forms of modern animation hideous to look at?" Just ugly, unappealing character designs across the board. I don't get it, but it's a thing. Speaking of which: here's Tig N' Seek, a new animated series from HBO Max. The show "follows an upbeat and eccentric 8-year-old boy named Tiggy and his cat, Gweeseek. Tiggy not only works at the Department of Lost and Found, finding lost items all throughout Wee-Gee City, he lives there too! Though he tries to help his friends whenever he can, his over-eagerness and neurotic quirks often lead to chaos in the Department. Tiggy's partner and best friend is his cat, Gweeseek. She's a graceful, friendly kitty who appears to be a normal cat, but is also capable of inventing extraordinary gadgets to help her friends in times of need. Join Tig n' Seek as they navigate the wacky day-to-day dilemmas of working at the Department of Lost and Found. " Look for it on HBO Max July 23.

    Saturday Night Live Episodes DelayedSaturday Night Live's Michael Che has landed an original sketch comedy series on HBO Max. Each episode of the currently untitled show "follows a theme or incident, (police brutality, unemployment, falling in love, etc.), and uses sketches and vignettes to illustrate what it feels like to experience this from a black vantage point. It's less about being 'right' and more about being honest, even at the risk of being controversial." Che said: "I'm really excited to be working on this show with HBO Max. It's a project I've been thinking about for a while and we have a lot of sketches we want to shoot so please wear your masks so that we can go into production." No word on when we might see this, but it's getting to the point where HBO Max seems to be announcing a new show every day.

    The USA Network series Briarpatch has been canceled, as you can see above in a letter from showrunner Andy Greenwald. The series follows Allegra Dill, played by Rosario Dawson, "a dogged investigator returning to her border-town Texas home after her sister is murdered. What begins as a search for a killer turns into an all-consuming fight to bring her corrupt hometown to its knees." Briarpatch was adapted from the book of the same name by Ross Thomas. Greenwald says in the note above that maybe, just maybe, the show can find new life if people keep watching it on demand. But if it has to end, at least the show got to tell a complete story.

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