TV Bits: 'Arrow' Spin-Off, 'Thirtysomething' Sequel, 'American Gods' Casting, And More
In this edition of TV Bits:
The long-running CW series Arrow is getting a spin-off, with Katherine McNamara playing Oliver Queen's daughter in a far-flung future. It'll begin as a backdoor pilot in the eighth and final season of Arrow, and actresses Katie Cassidy and Juliana Harkavy will be along for the ride, reprising their roles as Canaries Laurel Lance and Dinah Drake.
Here's the first look at DEVS, the anticipated new FX thriller series from Annihilation and Ex Machina director Alex Garland. He wrote and directed all eight episodes of the tech-based series about a young software developer (Sonoya Mizuno) who begins to suspect that a secret division of her company may have murdered her boyfriend. The show drops on FX sometime in 2020.
Deadline reports that the ABC drama thirtysomething is getting a sequel series from original creators Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, which "revolves around the children of the characters in the original show, which are now 30-something themselves." Apparently the plan is for the original cast members to come back and play their old characters again, but it's still too early for offers to have been made. The show is currently searching for a home.
Tonight marks the twenty-third season premiere of South Park, but creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone aren't approaching the finish line just yet. Comedy Central has renewed the show for three more seasons, taking the longest-running primetime scripted series in cable through an unprecedented 26th season and at least 327 episodes. That's quite an accomplishment, and I'm looking forward to seeing if the show can bounce back after last season, which was a bit flat at times.
Craig T. Nelson, who played the title character in the ABC sitcom Coach in the '80s and '90s, has been cast to play a different coach on CBS's Young Sheldon. ComingSoon says he'll play "Coach Dale Ballard, a Little League baseball coach who comes to blows with George Sr. (Lance Barber) over Missy (Raegan Revord) joining the team." I'd recommend telling your parents so they can get excited about this news, but they're probably the only ones who are watching Young Sheldon anyway, so let's just let them experience the surprise in real time.
I realize I sound old by saying this, but there are just too many places to watch stuff right now. Elizabeth Olsen, an actress I've liked in lots of things (seek out Martha Marcy May Marlene if you haven't) is starring in a Facebook Watch series called Sorry For Your Loss, and the first season apparently got good reviews. Now the season 2 trailer is here, and 10-episode second season premieres with three episodes this coming Tuesday, October 1 at 12pmPT/3pmET. I guess I'm adding this to my never-ending list of things to check out.
Yep, the Liev Schreiber fixer series Ray Donovan is still chugging along on Showtime. Can someone drop me a line and let me know if this one's worth diving into? Seven seasons is a big commitment these days.
A goddess in her own right, Blythe Danner will be joining the #GodSquad in Season 3 as Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest who has an unresolved romantic history with Mr. Wednesday. #AmericanGods pic.twitter.com/2rpI42lI8Z
— American Gods US (@americangodsus) September 24, 2019
I read Neil Gaiman's American Gods and wasn't super into it, so I still haven't watched the Starz adaptation. But my understanding is that the show is now taking things in directions the book never went; I certainly don't remember the Greek goddess Demeter being involved on the page, so maybe this is worth catching up with, too.
Shondaland's #NotesOnLove is an anthology series that explores the all-consuming ways love intersects with life. Each standalone ep hails from a prolific visionary: @shondarhimes, Norman Lear & Aaron Shure, @jennyhan, Steve Martin, @Diane_Warren, Lindy West & Ahamefule J. Oluo pic.twitter.com/ssoP0z7QwS
— Netflix Queue (@netflixqueue) September 24, 2019
This is interesting not only because of the talented group of people Shonda Rhimes has gathered here, but specifically because it'll mark the first time Steve Martin has directed anything since 1986.
The Jim Carrey Showtime series Kidding was originally scheduled to return for its second season on November 3 of this year, but it's been bumped back to February 9, 2020 so it can be paired up with the last season of Homeland.
The sixth and final season of the beloved comedy Schitt's Creek will premiere on Pop TV on January 7, 2020. The show will close out its run with 14 new episodes, so savor the freshness of them while you can.
Mark-Paul Gossalaar, who played Zack Morris on Saved by the Bell, says he was blindsided by the news that Disney+ was developing a continuation of the original series. Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkeley are producing and will be reprising their roles, but as of now, it's unclear if Gossalaar will be a part of the production – even though Zack Morris is supposed to be the governor of California in the new iteration.
Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan and Emmy-nominated documentarian Eddie Schmidt have created a new show for Quibi called Empires of Luxury, which is being described as a docuseries about the family dynasties behind the world's most desired goods.
Empires of Luxury looks at the elite families behind the world's most exclusive luxury labels spanning the travel, fashion and lifestyle industries, and the millennial members who are helping to guide their legacies into the future.