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Exclusive: M88 has hired Justin Corporan-Browning as a Literary Manager.

Corporan-Browning worked as an agent in CAA’s Los Angeles based Motion Picture department for the past three years. He began his career at CAA as an intern in 2018, joining the agency full-time following his graduation from Morehouse College. Beginning in 2019 he served as an assistant to the agency’s Co-Chairman Richard for three years before being promoted to agent.

In his new role at the full-service representation firm, his responsibilities will include continuing to represent and amplify creators across all mediums.

“The team is incredibly excited to bring Justin into the fold,” says Gaby Mena, head of M88’s literary department. “He has proven to have a clear vision, and taste, on the type of voices he wants to represent, to match a relentless approach to supporting them on their artistic mission. Justin will be a powerful addition to...

As an actor, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor has never regarded the camera as her ally.

“I’ve always felt like it was an enemy, because it feels intrusive,” says Ellis-Taylor, folding her legs under her on the couch in a West Hollywood hotel as she discusses her latest role in “Nickel Boys.”

Movie sets are like construction sites, where filmmakers build a world out of nothing. There, in the middle of all that hammering and people rigging lights, “actors are asked to transform and have a human experience with a big-ass piece of machinery that is a foot away from you,” she says. “And then you’re not supposed to look at it.”

“Nickel Boys” — in which she plays Hattie, the dutiful grandmother of a teenage boy wrongfully sentenced to attend a brutal reform school — presented a unique challenge. Director RaMell Ross shot the harrowing drama in a distinct visual style, with...

Uzo Aduba was at the Friday night premiere of Searchlight Pictures’ “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” in Los Angeles fresh from attending the Democratic National Convention.

She told Variety watching Vice President Kamala Harris accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency felt like “an outstanding check had finally been paid on the American dream.”

“It felt like the promise of America is still reaching toward fulfilling itself, and I think it makes me excited to know that the country, despite what we have seen in time, is still reaching forward toward becoming a more hopeful and more inclusive nation,” Aduba said.

“The Supremes” tells the multi-generational story of three best friends and their unbreakable sisterhood. Aduba plays Clarice Baker, who she describes as a “woman who has given everything she has for everyone else, selflessly putting aside her own dreams to see others live out theirs.”

“She’s...

I never expected to like The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat. But as I treat every work assignment with the same intensity, I started watching the movie with all my attention. To my surprise, the first hour passed by like a soothing breeze. It wasn’t my thing for sure, but I found myself digging the vibe of it. The plot was moving at a brisk pace, the drama was palpable, and the acting was fine enough to hold you. But then it started losing steam. By the time the final act kicked in, everything went haywire, and I couldn’t wait for it to end. It’s baffling how on earth director Tina Mabry lost the plot like that, especially after such a solid start. There’s not much to explain about The Supremes, but we’re still going to analyze Mabry’s film adaptation of the...

Okay all you music biopic fans, just keep reading the title past the first two words. This should give you a hint that it’s not the “rags to riches” tale of the 60s talented titanic trio from Motown. Actually, this story is set quite a distance from Detroit. way down in North Carolina. And yes, much of the flashback sequences are set in the 1960s, but the title refers to a nickname given to three childhood friends. And if you’d guess that the ploy revolves around their “ups and downs”, romances and challenges, well you’re perhaps familiar with the novel this film is based upon…or you picked up the gist of it from the poster. So, get those tissues ready to wipe away the tears inspired by The Supremes At Earl’S All-you-can-eat.

After a brief flash-forward, the film focused on three middle-aged women strolling toward the aforementioned eatery.

Tina Mabry’s The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat shares the story of Odette, Clarice and Barbara Jean, three lifelong friends united through every challenge life brings. From escaping troubled homes as teenagers in 1960s Indiana, the women lean on each other through everything from heartbreak and loss to health scares.

Directed by Tina Mabry from a script co-written with Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film explores the power of their bond over decades. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor plays the outspoken Odette, with Uzo Aduba as pianist Clarice and Sanaa Lathan portraying Barbara Jean. Younger versions are acted by Kyanna Simone, Abigail Achiri, and Tati Gabrielle.

At its heart, the film celebrates the solace women can take in sisterhood when facing adversity. From their antics as youth to familial roles as adults, the Supremes lean on each other and local haven Earl’s Diner. Their friendship proves a source of fun, comfort, and strength,...

Adaptation of Edward Kelsey Moore’s novel has admirable intentions and terrific cast but is too rushed to soar

In The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, three best friends lock arms for life, hoisting each other up as they are dealt one tough hand after another. The women – played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Uzo Aduba and Sanaa Lathan in their later years – keep their heads up through crushed dreams, manipulative romances, domestic abuse, addiction, violent hate crimes, the devastating loss of a child and a cancer diagnosis. There’s a lot of trauma to unpack. But that’s not really what The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is out to do.

The movie, adapted from Edward Kelsey Moore’s bestselling novel and directed by Tina Mabry, stays buoyant and lighthearted, with intention. Hollywood only tends to tell Black stories when they can dwell on misfortune. This dramedy, instead, chooses joy and laughter,...

The Supremes At Earl’S All-you-can-eat follows lifelong best friends Odette (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), Barbara Jean (Sanaa Lathan), and Clarice (Uzo Aduba) known as “The Supremes”, who share the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood from decades of weathering life’s storms. Through the joys and sorrows of life, marriage and children, happiness and blues, love and loss, new shades of heartbreak and illness threaten to stir up the past when the trio sees their bond put to the test as they face their most challenging times yet.

Cast includes Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan, Uzo Aduba, Mekhi Phifer, Julian McMahon, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Russell Hornsby.

Directed by Tina Mabry and Written by Cee Marcellus and Tina Mabry, Based on the 2013 New York Times best-selling novel by Edward Kelsey Moore.

The film hits Hulu on Friday, Aug 23rd.

For a chance to win a code to stream the movie:

Email michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com to enter.

When the script for “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” landed on Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s desk, she jumped at the opportunity to star in the historical drama. Despite a three-decade-long career, it’s a rarity for Ellis-Taylor to find herself cast in projects that pass the Bechdel test. “The Supremes,” which debuted at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (Mvaaff) on Wednesday night, is based on the best-selling novel by Edward Kelsey Moore. Directed by Tina Mabry, the film offered Ellis-Taylor and her castmates, Sanaa Lathan and Uzo Aduba, the chance to participate in something rarely seen on screen.

“There is a lack of curiosity about Black women, about the lives of Black women. A lack of interest, and a lack of care,” Ellis-Taylor says, sitting down with Variety at the festival. “[The Supremes]” is a rebellion against that.”

Set in a small southern town, the film follows lifelong friends Odette...

Searchlight Pictures on Thursday unveiled first-look photos for its horror thriller Hold Your Breath, starring Sarah Paulson (American Crime Story), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) and more, announcing that it will premiere only on Hulu on October 3.

Check out the first-look stills above and below.

Marking the feature directorial debut of writer-directors Will Joines and Karrie Crouse, the film takes places amid the horrific dust storms of 1930s Oklahoma, watching as a woman (Paulson) is convinced that a sinister presence is threatening her family.

Produced by Alix Madigan and Lucas Joaquin, pic’s ensemble also includes Amiah Miller (My Best Friend’s Exorcism), Alona Jane Robbins (New Amsterdam) and Annaleigh Ashford (Welcome to Chippendales).

Most recently releasing Kinds of Kindness, Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow-up to his Oscar winner Poor Things, Searchlight Pictures is next set to release the drama The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat on August 23. That film from director Tina Mabry is also bound for Hulu.

As so much media loves to remind us, life is not our hardships but the friends we’ve made along the way. Edward Kelsey Moore’s novel The Supremes At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is a charming examination of that maxim, balancing humor and heartbreak so as to reaffirm the value of keeping on.

You can’t hurry love, but you can hurry to catch the world premiere of “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can Eat” at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. The Searchlight Pictures movie, starring Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Sanaa Lathan, will debut on Aug. 7 as the Centrepiece selection for the 22nd annual film fest.

The Mvaaff, an Oscar-qualifying film festival in the short film category, was established in 2002 by Run & Shoot Filmworks principals Floyd and Stephanie Rance and runs from Aug. 2-10 with an impressive slate of films, documentaries, panel discussions and exclusive events focused on amplifying Black voices, storytelling and culture. The special presentation of “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can Eat” will be followed by one of the festival’s signature “Color of Conversation” discussions, featuring Aduba, Ellis-Taylor, Lathan, Mekhi Phifer and director Tina Mabry, moderated by journalist Cori Murray.

Based on Edward Kelsey Moore’s 2013 bestselling novel,...

The Hudson Film Festival, now in its second year in the quaint upstate New York town, has revealed the lineup for its 2024 edition.

IndieWire exclusively announces Hudson’s program for its second year, running August 9-11, with all-access passes now on sale. Programming includes opening night feature “The Supremes At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” (Searchlight Pictures on Hulu), Sundance award-winning documentary “Daughters” (Netflix), “My First Film” (Mubi) from Zia Anger, Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning documentary “A New Kind of Wilderness,” a 15th-anniversary free screening of Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” and Cannes award-winner “The Taste of Things” as an international spotlight feature.

Based on the 2013 New York Times bestselling novel, writer/director Tina Mabry’s “The Supremes At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” stars Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Emmy nominee Sanaa Lathan, and Emmy winner Uzo Aduba as three women whose friendship withstands the test of time through the decades dating back to the 1960s.

Hulu has released the official trailer for The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat. The film will only be available on Hulu beginning August 23, 2024!

Synopsis: The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat follows lifelong best friends Odette (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), Barbara Jean (Sanaa Lathan), and Clarice (Uzo Aduba) known as “The Supremes”, who share the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood from decades of weathering life’s storms. Through the joys and sorrows of life, marriage and children, happiness and blues, love and loss, new shades of heartbreak and illness threaten to stir up the past when the trio sees their bond put to the test as they face their most challenging times yet.

About The Film

Genre: Comedy, Drama Starring: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan, Uzo Aduba, Mekhi Phifer, Julian McMahon, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Russell Hornsby Director: Tina Mabry Screenplay: Cee Marcellus and Tina Mabry, Based on the 2013 New York Times best-selling novel by Edward Kelsey Moore Producer: Marty Bowen,...

Meeting people is easy. No, this isn’t just the name of (very good!) 1998 documentary starring the band Radiohead. It’s what we here at Film Independent hope that you’ll say walking out of this year’s Fast Track, Film Independent’s annual film financing market. Sure, meeting with dozens upon dozens of film distributors and financiers certainly sounds daunting. But if you stay present, stay hydrated and (at the very least) stay upright in your chair, there’s a good chance your innate passion and comprehensive authority over your own project will compel others and shepherd their investment dollars into your film’s coffers.

The deadline for Fi Members to apply to Fast Track 2024 are open through June 20. So don’t delay! In previous years, we’ve reached out to past Film Independent Fast Track Fellows for their advice on how to make the most of their...

Searchlight Pictures has announced that its drama The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, starring Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Sanaa Lathan, will be available to stream exclusively on Hulu on August 23.

Based on the 2013 New York Times bestselling novel by Edward Kelsey Moore, the film directed by Tina Mabry tells the story of three best friends dubbed “The Supremes” who have weathered life’s storms together for two generations, through marriage and children, happiness and the blues, watching as they find themselves at a crossroad that tests their lifelong bond.

Pic also stars Russell Hornsby and Mekhi Phifer, as well as Kyanna Simone, Tati Gabrielle, Abigail Achiri, Julian McMahon, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Tony Winters, Dijon Means, Xavier Mills, Cleveland Berto and Ryan Paynter. Cee Marcellus adapted the screenplay, with revisions by Mabry, with Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen’s Temple Hill Entertainment producing.

Most recently, Searchlight released Laura Chinn’s Sundance drama Suncoast,...

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor has made some changes in her life.

We’ve all grown to know her as the two-time Emmy nominated actress from “When They See Us” and “Lovecraft Country” and her Oscar-nominated performance in “King Richard,” all of which came under her initial professional name: Aunjanue Ellis.

When the first promotional materials were released for her new film “Origin” from writer and director Ava DuVernay, a natural question began circulating regarding the hyphenated addition of “Taylor” to her professional name. What prompted the name change? Turns out, she wanted to honor the most important person in her life posthumously: her mother.

“The love of my life, my mother, gave me my Daddy’s name,” she tells Variety. “I was like, wait a minute, lady, I want your name. This past birthday, I said, ‘What am I doing? I want to carry her with me every day.’ So, how do...

Justified: City Primeval may not be the show some expected to find Aunjanue Ellis in this summer. But the draw in playing attorney Carolyn Wilder was not the Justified brand’s cult status. Instead, the original source material is what intrigued her most.

“I’m always interested in stories in film and television that have been adapted from books. So this was from Elmore Leonard originally [and] I’m always fascinated by characters who have novel beginnings,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Unlike Justified, where Harlan, Kentucky is the center, with Timothy Olyphant’s Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens dishing out his own unique blend of tough justice, Detroit is the setting for this FX offshoot. Traveling with his daughter Willa, played by Olyphant’s actual child Vivian, Raylan gets detoured in Detroit and tasked with catching sociopath Clement Mansell (an...

Every Oscar season brings a perfect blend of unexpected movies joining into the race, films falling out and lots of other last-minute decisions. Our 2024 Oscars predictions center launched in early July with the eight top categories. Since then, we’ve received alerts and notices that 13 movies will be eligible instead for 2024 (and the 2025 Academy Awards competition).

More changes will certainly be made in the upcoming months with news from festivals, premieres, red carpet events and critical response. But for now, here are the 13 films that were initially available for 2024 prediction but have been removed. Keep in mind that the reasons for changes could be more editing/technical work needs to be done on these movies, quality level is low, getting away from the strikes timeframce, and/or holding to have more product in 2024 since production has been slowed down.

Also, any film listed below could be reconsidered and shifted back...

With the film industry as a whole taking a significant hit during the early years of the pandemic, one progressive change that has been stifled for the past couple years is studios hiring more directors from underrepresented backgrounds.

There are all sorts of data points repeated over the years by annual studies, like USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which has repeatedly revealed how increasing diversity within filmmaking helps, not harms, business prospects. For example, the latest USC study shared that films by underrepresented directors earned marginally higher Metacritic scores than movies from white directors, and yet 2022 had a 6.6 percent decline in the number of the directors from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups who helmed the top 100 films of the year.

Though the upcoming slate of studio films does not seem like it will move the needle even back to 2021 numbers, where the percentage of directors from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups reached a 15-year high,...

Exclusive: Searchlight Pictures has wrapped production on The Supremes At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, announcing that Dijon Means (P-Valley), Xavier Mills (Interview with the Vampire), Cleveland Berto (Terminator: Dark Fate) and Ryan Paynter (Dopesick) will round out the cast.

The upcoming film directed by Tina Mabry is based on the 2013 New York Times bestselling novel by Edward Kelsey Moore. It tells the story of three best friends dubbed “The Supremes” who have weathered life’s storms together for two generations, through marriage and children, happiness and the blues, watching as they find themselves at a crossroad that tests their lifelong bond.

Details as to the new cast members’ roles haven’t been disclosed. But the film’s ensemble also includes Russell Hornsby and Mekhi Phifer, as well as Kyanna Simone, Tati Gabrielle, Abigail Achiri, Julian McMahon, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Tony Winters. Gina Prince-Bythewood adapted the screenplay,...

Tina Mabry’s “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” has rounded out its cast with the addition of Kyanna Simone (“American Horror Stories”), Tati Gabrielle (“You”), Abigail Achiri (“The Underground Railroad”), Julian McMahon, Vondie Curtis-Hall (“Blue Bayou”) and Tony Winters (“National Champions”) as Big Earl.

Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis and Sanaa Lathan lead the movie, based on Edward Kelsey Moore’s 2013 bestselling novel, playing best friends affectionally dubbed “The Supremes.” According to the film’s synopsis, the trio — Clarice, Odette and Barbara Jean — “have weathered life’s storms together for two generations through marriage and children, happiness and the blues,” and they “find their paths at a crossroads that test their lifelong bond.” Simone, Gabrielle and Achiri will play younger versions of Ellis, Lathan and Aduba’s characters, respectively.

Russell Hornsby and Mekhi Phifer also star in the Searchlight Pictures movie, which has begun principal photography in North Carolina.

In...

Click here to read the full article.

ER alum Mekhi Phifer has joined Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis and Sanaa Lathan in The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat for Searchlight Pictures.

Tina Mabry is directing the film about three best friends dubbed the “Supremes” from a script by Gina Prince-Bythewood, with revisions by Mabry. Phifer currently stars alongside Octavia Spencer in Apple’s Truth Be Told drama.

He’s best known for playing Gregory Pratt on NBC’s ER and has also starred in movies like Clockers and the Divergent franchise. His credits also include Hulu’s Love, Victor, A&e’s Roots, House of Lies, Torchwood and Lie to Me. He is a multiple NAACP Award winner.

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is an adaptation of the 2013 novel by Edward Kelsey Moore and, per Searchlight, portrays best friends who have “weathered life’s storms together for two generations through marriage and children,...

Russell Hornsby has signed onto Searchlight Pictures’ “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can Eat,” joining the film’s starry lead trio of Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis and Sanaa Lathan.

Based on Edward Kelsey Moore’s 2013 bestselling novel, “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” is set to be directed by Tina Mabry from a script by Gina Prince-Bythewood, with revisions by Mabry.

Aduba, Ellis and Lathan play best friends dubbed “The Supremes,” who, according to the film’s synopsis, “have weathered life’s storms together for two generations through marriage and children, happiness and the blues,” and “find their paths at a crossroads that test their lifelong bond.” Hornsby has been cast in a key role in the project, specifics of which are being kept under wraps.

In Dec. 2020, Variety exclusively reported that Mabry had signed on to the project, which is produced by Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen’s Temple Hill Entertainment,...

Click here to read the full article.

In June 2019, the gender-parity industry coalition ReFrame unveiled Rise, its two-year program to support the continuation of mid-level female directors’ careers. After a slight pandemic-affected delay, ReFrame Rise has now returned with its second cohort, which expands to include cinematographers.

Each woman will be matched with a career coach and a team of industry professionals to sponsor them (a relationship that involves a more committed level of participation than mentorship).

“We have learned firsthand the value of the sponsorship opportunity for women artists and look forward to supporting this next group as they level up and find sustainability in their careers,” Sundance Institute founding senior director of Artist Programs and ReFrame Leadership Council member Michelle Satter said in a statement. (ReFrame is a collaboration between the institute and Women in Film.)

“The numbers of women cinematographers hired on our industry’s largest projects...

Actress Tessa Thompson aka 'Valkyrie' in Marvel Studios' "Thor: Love and Thunder" poses for the August 2022 issue of "Harper's Bazaar" (US) magazine, wearing Armani, Bulgari and a whole lot more, photographed by Collier Schorr:

Thompson began her professional acting career in Los Angeles with leading roles in Tina Mabry's independent drama film "Mississippi Damned" (2009) and Tyler Perry's "For Colored Girls" (2010), adaptating the 1976 play of the same name.

Thompson gained favorable notices for her early film performances in the comedy-drama "Dear White People" (2014)...

...and as civil rights activist 'Diane Nash' in Ava DuVernay’s historical drama "Selma" (2014).

She gained mainstream attention for her roles in franchise films playing 'Bianca Taylor' in the sport dramas "Creed" (2015) and "Creed II" (2018), and for her starring role as 'Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017), "Avengers: Endgame" (2019), and "Thor: Love and Thunder" (2022).

She also received critical praise...

Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis and Sanaa Lathan are set to star in “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” at Searchlight Pictures, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap. The film is an adaptation of a 2013 novel by Edward Kelsey Moore.

Tina Mabry, a producer on “Queen Sugar,” will direct the feature film adaptation of the book of the same name. She’ll work from a script written by Gina Prince-Bythewood, with revisions by Mabry.

The story follows three women in Plainview, Indiana who since the ’60s as high school pals have been dubbed “The Supremes” and have spent all their time at a diner called Earl’s as their home away from home. And though they’ve weathered much in their lives, each of the women now face their own personal struggles that puts their friendship at a crossroads.

Also Read:

Sam Mendes’ ‘Empire of Light’ With Olivia Colman...

Exclusive: Searchlight Pictures has lined up an all-star cast for its adaptation of Tina Mabry’s The Supremes At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat with Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis, and Sanaa Lathan set to star in the adaptation. Mabry will direct from a script Gina Prince-Bythewood penned the script, with revisions by Mabry, which is based on the 2013 New York Times best-selling novel by Edward Kelsey Moore.

Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen’s Temple Hill Entertainment is producing, with Production Heads DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas overseeing for Searchlight, along with Director of Production Zahra Phillips and Creative Executive Apolline Berty.

The film follows three best friends dubbed “The Supremes,” who have weathered life’s storms together for two generations through marriage and children, happiness and the blues, find their paths at a crossroads that test their lifelong bond.

Following years of success that included multiple Emmy wins for playing Crazy Eyes...

Actress Tessa Thompson aka 'Valkyrie' in Marvel Studios' "Thor: Love and Thunder" poses for the August 2022 issue of "Harper's Bazaar" (US) magazine, wearing Armani, Bulgari and a whole lot more, photographed by Collier Schorr:

Thompson began her professional acting career in Los Angeles with leading roles in Tina Mabry's independent drama film "Mississippi Damned" (2009) and Tyler Perry's "For Colored Girls" (2010), adaptating the 1976 play of the same name.

Thompson gained favorable notices for her early film performances in the comedy-drama "Dear White People" (2014)...

...and as civil rights activist 'Diane Nash' in Ava DuVernay’s historical drama "Selma" (2014).

She gained mainstream attention for her roles in franchise films playing 'Bianca Taylor' in the sport dramas "Creed" (2015) and "Creed II" (2018), and for her starring role as 'Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017), "Avengers: Endgame" (2019), and "Thor: Love and Thunder" (2022).

She also received critical praise...

Exclusive: Peabody Award-winning showrunner, producer and writer Gary Lennon (Power Book IV: Force) has signed with M88.

Lennon currently serves as showrunner and executive producer of Starz’s Power spin-off Power Book IV: Force, which boasts the most-watched series premiere in the history of the premium cabler, with 3.3 million multiplatform views in the U.S. alone. The crime drama, renewed for a second season in March, now also has the record for most-watched day on the Starz app and on linear as the highest-rated premiere.

Under his deal with Starz, Lennon also exec produces the Cape Cod opioid crisis-based crime drama Hightown, which was renewed for a third season earlier this year. He at the same time serves as an executive producer on HBO’s hugely popular teen drama series Euphoria starring Zendaya, which recently garnered 16 Emmy nominations including Best Drama Series.

Lennon previously served as co-showrunner, writer and executive producer on Power,...

Click here to read the full article.

Playing Tina Turner was an “unbelievably difficult, exciting and exhilarating” experience, says Adrienne Warren, who was in the midst of a Broadway run in the starring role of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical when everything came to a halt in March 2020. “Our entire community was in deep mourning,” Warren recalls, not knowing when or if they’d be back onstage.

Amid the uncertainty of that summer came the opportunity to portray Mamie Till-Mobley in the ABC anthology series Women of the Movement. Mamie, an educator and activist, was the mother of Emmett Till, whose lynching in 1955 was a catalyst in the civil rights movement. When the project came to Warren with her name on the shortlist, outrage over anti-Black racism was again roiling the country after the murder of George Floyd.

“There’s a reason why in my life, at this time, I...

Exclusive: Sharese Bullock-Bailey has been appointed as Festival Director and the first-ever Chief Innovation Officer at Urbanworld, which showcases narrative features, documentaries, short films, web originals, spotlight screenings, conversations and music performances that feature storytellers of color, including Black, Indigenous and Latinx artists.

In her new roles, Bullock-Bailey will oversee the brand, lead all key components of annual Festival planning and execution, expand Urbanworld Innovation, drive strategy and optimize assets and experiences, building upon current and potential partnerships as the festival enters its next 25 years.

“We are thrilled to have Sharese Bullock-Bailey join the Urbanworld family as the Festival Director and first-ever Chief Innovation Officer,” said Urbanworld founder Stacy Spikes. “She brings a rare blend of talents, expertise and leadership to our team as we continue to expand our impact in storytelling, technology and game-changing culture.”

“Urbanworld provides a legacy and blueprint for the future of storytelling, technology and community...

Actress Tessa Thompson, aka 'Valkyrie' in the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' films including the upcoming feature "Thor: Love and Thunder", is the new 'face' of "Armani Beauty", appearing in current campaigns for 'Luminous Silk Foundation' and 'Lip Power' lipstick, photographed by Mikael Jansson:

Thompson's film breakthrough came with leading roles in Tina Mabry's independent drama film "Mississippi Damned" (2009) and Tyler Perry's drama film "For Colored Girls" (2010). She then gained favorable notices for early performances in the comedy-drama "Dear White People" (2014) and as civil rights activist 'Diane Nash' in Ava DuVernay’s historical drama "Selma" (2014).

Thompson gained mainstream attention for her roles in franchise films, playing 'Bianca Taylor' in the sport dramas "Creed" (2015) and "Creed II" (2018), and for her starring role as 'Valkyrie' in the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' superhero films "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017), "Avengers: Endgame" (2019), and the upcoming "Thor: Love and Thunder" (2022), as well as her...

Exclusive: Showtime is expanding its cast for The Chi, with the addition of Nia Jervier (Dear White People) and Carolyn Michelle Smith (House of Cards) who will take on recurring roles for the series’ upcoming fifth season.

Created and executive produced by Lena Waithe and executive produced by Common, The Chi is a timely coming-of-age story about a group of residents on the South Side of Chicago who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption.

Jervier will play Tierra, the poised and polished god-niece of Douda (Curtiss Cook) whom he recruits for a rebranding effort. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it, no matter the costs.

Smith will portray Deja, the new love interest for Shaad (Jason Weaver) who helps him level up in more ways than one.

They join additional cast members Michael V. Epps, Jacob Latimore,...

Queen of the South co-producer and Queen Sugar producer Tina Mabry has signed on to direct and co-write Pretty Big at Warner Bros. and HBO Max, a project which Mike Jackson of Get Lifted Film Co., Poppy Hanks and Jelani Johnson of Macro and Kristina Sorensen will produce.

Pretty Big is based on the true life story of Akira Armstrong and the origin of her Pretty Big Movement dance company. In the movie, a young plus-sized woman takes matters into her own hands when she keeps getting rejected from dance companies, despite her obvious talent. When she starts her own company for bodies of all shapes, sizes, and colors, she sets out to win a prestigious competition and prove to the dance community that anyone can dance at an elite level. This was a competitive package bid on by several studios. Dan Steele is co-writing.

EPs...

Akira Armstrong’s Pretty Big Movement dance company set out to destroy stereotypes in the dance world — and now that story is getting the Hollywood treatment in a new film.

Set at Warner Bros. for HBO Max, “Pretty Big” is based on the true life story and the origin of Armstrong’s dance company, which is inclusive of bodies of all shapes, sizes and colors. Tina Mabry has signed on to direct the project, co-writing the screenplay with Dan Steele.

The movie follows Armstrong, a young, plus-sized woman who takes matters into her own hands after being rejected from other dance companies, despite her obvious talent. After starting her own company, she sets out to win a prestigious competition and prove to the dance community that anyone can dance at an elite level.

Warner Bros. nabbed the competitive package, bid on by multiple studios, for HBO Max. Get Lifted Film Co.

The further history gets from us, the easier it becomes to dismiss it as some far-flung past when, in fact, it remains all too relevant to our present. “Women of the Movement,” premiering Jan. 6 on ABC, directly aims to rectify that, putting a sharp focus on a story that, for too many, keeps fading into distant memory. Developed as an anthology series to highlight a different piece of American history every season, “Women of the Movement” first follows Mamie Till-Mobley, whose 14 year-old son Emmett became a national flashpoint upon his brutal murder in 1955. After his death, Till-Mobley became a prominent civil rights figure in her own right both by terrible accident and grim design. The image of a grieving Black mother put a powerful face to a type of crime that had gone unremarked upon for decades — and yet, it’s impossible to watch “Women of the Movement” and not...

This month, ABC is betting big that viewers will tune into its ambitious three-part, six-episode limited series “Women of the Movement,” centering on 14-year-old Emmett Till’s brutal murder in 1955 that served as an important catalyst for the civil rights movement. With the ongoing investigation into the Capitol riot and reignited Critical Race Theory debates in the wake of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ “The 1619 Project,” the nation’s “wokeness” meter has arguably never been higher. But the question is whether a traditional broadcast network can succeed on a project first developed at HBO.

Consciously focusing on the role Black women played in the civil rights struggle, “Women of the Movement” centers on Till’s grieving mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, and her determination to bring her son’s mutilated body back to Chicago to “let the world see” (a phrase that inspires the title of ABC’s companion docuseries). We also follow the trial...

Netflix announced the comedy event “Death to 2021” will premiere Dec. 27.

The special tells the story of yet another dreadful year through a documentary style, mixing archival footage gathered over the year with commentary from fictitious characters played by Hugh Grant, Lucy Liu, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo, Joe Keery, William Jackson Harper, Stockard Channing, Cristin Milioti, Diane Morgan, Nick Mohammed and more.

In a first-look clip from the special, which you can watch below, an “average British citizen,” played by Morgan, shares her experience with online dating during the pandemic. “I got on quite well with one of them,” says the character. “We even had a cuddle.” The scene then cuts to the pair on a virtual date over Zoom, awkwardly leaning towards their computers.

“Death to 2021” is executive produced by Annabel Jones and Ben Caudell. Nick Vaughan-Smith produces, and Jack Clough and Josh Ruben direct. The special was written by Caudell.

“The Bachelor” is back on Monday nights this winter, as the dating show enters a new era with a new host.

“The Bachelor,” which will be hosted by Jesse Palmer, will premiere on Jan. 3 at 8 p.m., returning the flagship show to its normal and coveted time slot. The franchise has been airing on Tuesday nights this fall with the current season of “The Bachelorette,” as Bachelor Nation has gotten year-round programming in 2021 with two seasons of “Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise” this past summer. The new season marks the first season not led by longtime host Chris Harrison, who departed the franchise earlier this year.

Also on ABC’s midseason schedule is the farewell season of the Emmy-nominated and groundbreaking comedy “Black-ish,” which will sign off after eight seasons. The final, star-studded season will feature a guest appearance by former first lady Michelle Obama.

New series coming to ABC...

ABC announced that “Women of the Movement,” the upcoming limited series based on the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley, will premiere on Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. The six-episode series will air in three parts for three consecutive weeks.

Adrienne Warren stars as Mamie, the mother of Emmett Till (Cedric Joe), who was brutally lynched in 1955 in the Jim Crow South. The series sees Mamie risk her life seeking justice for Emmett, keeping his name and murder in the news and igniting the Civil Rights movement. Tonya Pinkins plays Mamie’s mother Alma Carthan; Ray Fisher plays Gene Mobley, Mamie’s husband who was a father figure to Emmett; Glynn Turman plays Mose Wright, Mamie’s uncle; Chris Coy and Carter Jenkins play Emmett’s murderers J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant, respectively, and Julia McDermott plays Carolyn Bryant, the white woman Emmett was falsely accused of sexually harassing.

“My son, he’s a good boy,...

Tribeca and Chanel have set participants, masterclass advisors, mentors and jurors for their seventh annual Through Her Lens program, supporting women filmmakers, announcing that it will take place from October 12-14.

The creatives and short film projects chosen for the three-day mentorship program, designed to provide industry support, artistic development and funding to “emerging U.S. based self-identifying women and non-binary writers and directors,” include director Annalise Lockhart and writer/producer Mary Glen Fredrick (Anything Valuable), writer/director Maya Tanaka and producer Shuchi Talati (Honolulu), director Caroline Lindy and writer/producer Kate Hamilton (How Did I Get Here), writer/director Tiye Amenechi and producer Satchel Lee (Night Bloom), and writer/director Phumi Morare (Why the Cattle Wait).

Each will benefit from a combination if virtual and in-person, one-on-one mentorship—along with masterclasses focused on script-to-screen development, music composition, costume design, producing, and directing—working with mentors to shape and refine their pitches and projects.

The seventh annual Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program kicks off today with a hybrid edition featuring both virtual and in-person events.

The three-day event allows program finalists working on five films to participate in one-on-one mentorship and masterclasses focused on script-to-screen development, music composition, costume design, producing and directing.

The Leadership Committee includes Amy Schumer, Gayle King, Marlee Matlin, Paula Weinstein, Ali Adler, Melissa Barrera, Kay Cannon, Jacqueline Durran, Misha Green, Soo Hugh, Zoe Lister-Jones, Laura Karpman, Leslie Mann, Tina Mabry, Adepero Oduye, Frida Torresblanco, DeWanda Wise and Maria Zuckerman.

Program finalists include Annalise Lockhart and Mary Glen Fredrick (“Anything Valuable”), Maya Tanaka and Shuchi Talati (“Honolulu”), Caroline Lindy and Kate Hamilton (“How Did I Get Here”), Tiye Amenechi and Satchel Lee (“Night Bloom”) and Phumi Morare (‘Why the Cattle Wait”).

One team will receive full financing to produce their short film with support from Tribeca Studios.

Urbanworld has named Christine L. Mendoza executive director of the foundation.

The newly-created role will have Mendoza overseeing year-round operations, strategy and development for Urbanworld, the home of Urbanworld Film Festival. As written in a press release, the festival “showcases narrative features, documentaries, short films, web originals, spotlight screenings, conversations and music performances that feature people of color including Black, Indigenous and Latinx artists.”

“We are thrilled to have Christine join the Urbanworld family. She brings the ideal mix of experience and passion to our team as we continue to expand our reach and impact,” Stacy Spikes, founder of Urbanworld Film Festival, said in a statement.

Mendoza, who identifies as Latinx, has made equity in the arts her mission as a filmmaker, administrator and educator. Mendoza was most recently the director of education for film at Lincoln Center and has previously worked as the director of development and programs for the Coalition for Immigrant Freedom.

The Urbanworld Film Festival is set to mark its 25th anniversary with a star-studded hybrid event featuring Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay; “Wu-Tang: An American Saga’s” RZA and Shameik Moore; “King Richard” director Reinaldo Marcus Green and star Aunjanue Ellis; “Power Book III: Raising Kanan’s” Patina Miller; “Sankofa” filmmaker Haile Gerima and more.

The 2021 edition of the film festival will be presented virtually with on urbanworld.org, running from Sept. 29-Oct. 3, with select in-person events held at Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas, Chelsea at 260 West 23rd Street in New York. Presented by founding partner HBO and prestige partners WarnerMedia and Ally, the festival officially unveiled its slate of more than 88 official selections, panels and conversations.

A longtime supporter of and participant in the Urbanworld lineup, DuVernay will be on hand for multiple special events with the Netflix series “Colin in Black & White” featured among the virtual spotlight presentations at the fest.

Netflix has swung the axe on another TV series.

The streamer on Thursday officially canceled Grand Army after a single season, almost nine months after its launch on the service.

The series "tunnels into a generation that’s raging and rising. Five students at the largest public high school in Brooklyn take on our chaotic world as they fight to succeed, survive, wild out, break free and seize the future," according to Netflix.

9 episodes comprised the first season, with So Yong Kim, Darnell Martin, Tina Mabry, Silas Howard, and Clement Virgo on board to bring the project to life.

Executive Producers include Katie Cappiello, Josh Donen, Nicolette Donen, Elizabeth Kling, Beau Willimon, and Jordan Tappis.

The expansive cast includes Odessa A'zion as Joey Del Marco, Odley Jean as Dominique (Dom) Pierre, Maliq Johnson as Jayson Jackson, Amalia Yoo as Leila Kwan Zimmer, Amir Bageria as Siddhartha (Sid) Pakam, Alphonso Jones as John Ellis,...

Netflix has canceled “Grand Army” after just one season.

The series “tunnels into a generation that’s raging and rising. Five students at the largest public high school in Brooklyn take on our chaotic world as they fight to succeed, survive, wild out, break free and seize the future.” according to its logline.

“Grand Army” starred Odley Jean as Dominique (Dom) Pierre, Odessa A’zion as Joey Del Marco, Maliq Johnson as Jayson Jackson, Amalia Yoo as Leila Kwan Zimmer, Amir Bageria as Siddhartha (Sid) Pakam, Alphonso Jones as John Ellis, Anthony Ippolito as George Wright, Brian Altemus as Luke Friedman, Thelonius “Monk” Serrel Freed as Tim Delaney, Jaden Jordan as Owen Williams, Ashley Ganger as Meera Pakam, Sydney Meyer as Anna Delany, Brittany Adebumola as Tamika Jones and Crystal Nelson as Tor Sampson.

The nine-episode first — and now final — season of “Grand Army” launched Oct. 16 of last year on Netflix.

Updated with new photos: It was a long, pandemic-impacted broadcast development cycle, with some pilots taking a year to get produced, but the broadcast networks have made their picks for new scripted series to debut in fall 2021 as well as the bulk of their decisions for new midseason 2022 shows.

The pandemic forced broadcast executives to think outside the traditional broadcast pilot model and rely more heavily on straight-to-series orders, often based on additional scripts, sometimes delivered through the opening of a writers room.

Check out Deadline’s gallery of new 2021-22 shows. Those picked up straight-to-series that have not produced a pilot and have no episodic art available, are represented by their top talent on or behind the camera.

Click on the photo above to launch the gallery. You can find details on each of the new series below.

Drama

Queens

Studio: ABC Signature

Team: Zahir McGhee, Sabrina Wind (ep), Tim Story

Logline: Estranged and out of touch, four women in their 40s reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger they had as the Nasty Bitches – their ’90s group that made them legends in the hip-hop world.

Cast: Eve, Naturi Naughton, Brandy, Nadine Velazquez, Pepi Sonuga

Comedy

The Wonder Years

Studio: 20th Television

Team: Saladin Patterson, Fred Savage, Lee Daniels (ep), Marc Velez (ep)

Logline: How a black middle-class family in Montgomery, Al, in the turbulent late 1960s made sure it was the Wonder Years for them too. Reboot of the 1988-93 ABC series.

Cast: Elisha “Ej” Williams, Saycon Sengbloh, Dulé Hill, Laura Kariuki, Milan Ray, Julian Lerner, Amari O’Neil, Don Cheadle (narrator)

Abbott Elementary (Midseason)

Studio: Warner Bros TV/20th Television

Team: Quinta Brunson, Justin Halpern (ep), Patrick Schumacker (ep), Randall Einhorn (d)

Logline: A group of teachers is brought together in one of the worst public schools in the country, simply because they love teaching. They will rely on one another to make it through the day and find a way to counteract the school district’s bullsh*t attitude toward educating children.

Cast: Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph

Maggie (Midseason)

Studio: 20th Television

Team: Maggie Mull, Justin Adler, Evan Hayes (ep), Jeff Morton (ep). Natalia Anderson

Logline: A young woman tries to cope with life while coming to terms with her abilities as a psychic. She can see everyone’s future, but her present is a mess. Based on the short film by Tim Curcio.

Cast: Rebecca Rittenhouse, David Del Rio, Kerri Kenney, Chris Elliott, Nichole Sakura, Angelique Cabral, Leonardo Nam, Ray Ford, Chloe Bridges

Limited Series

Women Of The Movement (Midseason)

Studio: Kapital Entertainment

Team: Marissa Jo Cerar, Jay-Z (ep), Jay Brown (ep), Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith (ep), Will Smith (ep), James Lassiter (ep), Aaron Kaplan (ep), Dana Honor (ep), Michael Lohmann (ep), Gina Prince-Bythewood, Rosanna Grace (ep), Alex Foster (ep), John Powers Middleton (ep), David Clark (ep), Tina Mabry (d), Julie Dash (d), Kasi Lemmons (d)

Logline: Centers on Mamie Till-Mobley, who devoted her life to seeking justice for her son Emmett Till. Inspired by the book ‘Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement’ by Devery S. Anderson.

Cast: Adrienne Warren, Tonya Pinkins, Cedric Joe, Glynn Turman, Ray Fisher, Chris Coy, Julia McDermott, Carter Jenkins, Joshua Caleb, Leslie Silva, Chris Butler, Alex Désert, Miles Fowler, Tongayi Chirisa, Jason Turner, Daniel Abeles

Drama

CSI: Vegas

Studio: CBS Studios/Jerry Bruckheimer Television

Team: Jason Tracey, Uta Briesewitz, Jerry Bruckheimer (ep), Jonathan Littman (ep), KristieAnne Reed (ep), Anthony Zuiker (ep), Carol Mendelsohn (ep), Ann Donahue (ep), Craig O’Neill (ep), William Petersen (ep), Cindy Chvatal (ep)

Logline: Facing an existential threat that could bring down the Crime Lab, a brilliant new team of forensic investigators must welcome back old friends and deploy new techniques to preserve and serve justice in Sin City. Sequel to the 2000-15 CBS drama ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.’

Cast: William Petersen, Jorja Fox, Wallace Langham, Paula Newsome, Matt Lauria, Mel Rodriguez and Mandeep Dhillon

FBI: International

Studio: Wolf Entertainment/Universal Television/CBS Studios

Team: Dick Wolf (ep), Derek Haas, Rick Eid (ep), Peter Jankowski (ep), Arthur Forney (ep)

Logline: ‘FBI’ spinoff follows the elite agents of the FBI’s International division as they travel the world with the mission of protecting Americans wherever they may be.

Cast: Tba

NCIS: Hawai’I

Studio: CBS Studios

Team: Christopher Silber, Jan Nash, Matt Bosack, Larry Teng

Logline: Set in the Aloha State, it follows the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor and her team as they balance duty to family and country, investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of the island itself.

Cast: Vanessa Lachey

Good Sam (Midseason)

Studio: CBS Studios/Sutton St. Productions

Team: Katie Wech, Jennie Snyder Urman (ep), Joanna Klein (ep)

Logline: A talented yet stifled surgeon embraces her leadership role after her renowned and pompous boss falls into a coma. When he awakens and wants to resume surgery, however, it falls to her to supervise this overbearing blowhard who never acknowledged her talents — and also happens to be her father.

Cast: Sophia Bush, Jason Isaacs, Edwin Hodge, Skye P. Marshall, Michael Stahl-David, Davi Santos, Omar Maskati, Wendy Crewson

Comedy

Ghosts (single camera)

Studio: Lionsgate Television/BBC Studios/CBS Television Studios

Team: Joe Port, Joe Wiseman, Mathew Baynton (ep), Jim Howick (ep), Simon Farnaby (ep), Laurence Rickard (ep), Ben Willbond (ep), Martha Howe-Douglas, Alison Carpenter (ep), Debra Hayward (ep), Alison Owen (ep), Angie Stephenson (ep)

Logline: Follows a young couple, Samantha and Ryan, whose dreams come true when they inherit a beautiful country house, only to find it’s both falling apart and inhabited by many of the deceased previous residents. Based on the British series.

Cast: Rose McIver, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Rebecca Wisocky, Brandon Scott Jones, Danielle Pinnock, Asher Grodman, Richie Moriarty, Sheila Carrasco and Román Zaragoza

Smallwood (Midseason; multi-camera)

Studio: CBS Studios

Team: Mark Gross, David Hollander (ep), Brian D’Arcy James (ep), Mark Cendrowski (d)

Logline: After being laid off from the assembly line at the Gm factory, a seemingly ordinary man makes the extraordinary decision to provide for his family by following his dream of becoming a professional bowler. Based on professional bowler Tom Smallwood’s life.

Cast: Pete Holmes, Chi McBride, Katie Lowes

Drama

The Big Leap

Studios: 20th Century Fox Television/Fox Entertainment

Team: Liz Heldens, Sue Naegle (ep), Peter Dale (ep), Jason Winer

Logline: Contemporary tale about second chances, chasing your dreams and taking back what’s yours. The show revolves around a group of diverse underdogs from all different walks of life who compete to be part of a competition reality series that is putting on a modern, hip remake of Swan Lake. What they lack in the traditional dancer body type, they make up for with their edge, wit and desire to reimagine an iconic story to fit their own mold. Inspired by the UK series ‘Big Ballet.’

Cast: Scott Foley, Teri Polo, Piper Perabo, Ser’Darius Blain, Jon Rudnitsky, Simone Rescasner, Raymond Cham Jr., Kevin Daniels, Mallory Jansen

Our Kind Of People

Studios: 20th Century TV/Fox Entertainment

Team: Karin Gist, Lee Daniels (ep), Marc Velez (ep), Clarie Brown (ep), Pam Williams (ep), Ben Silverman (ep), Howard T. Owens (ep), Rodney Ferrell (ep), Montrel McKay (ep)

Logline: Single mom Angela Vaughn risks it all and moves her family to Martha’s Vineyard with hopes of taking her natural hair care line to the next level by infiltrating the African-American elite in Oak Bluffs. But she soon discovers a secret about her past that just might change her position and shake up her life and this influential community forever. Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s book ‘Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class’

Cast: Yaya DeCosta

The Cleaning Lady (Midseason)

Studios: Warner Bros Television/Fox Entertainment

Team: Miranda Kwok, Melissa Carter, Michael Offer, Shay Mitchell (ep), Rose Marie Vega (ep), Paola Suarez (ep)

Logline: A whip-smart doctor comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her ailing son. But when the system fails and pushes her into hiding, she refuses to be beaten down and marginalized. Instead, she becomes a cleaning lady for the mob and starts playing the game by her own rules. Based on the Argentine series ‘La Chica que Limpia.’

Cast: Élodie Yung, Vincent Piazza, Martha Millan, Adan Canto, Erik Valdez

Monarch (Midseason)

(fka Untitled Country Music Dynasty)

Studios: Fox Entertainment

Team: Melissa London Hilfers, Michael Rauch, Gail Berman (ep), Hend Baghdady (ep), Jason Owen (ep)

Logline: Multigenerational musical drama about America’s first family of country music. The Romans are fiercely talented, but while their name is synonymous with honesty, the very foundation of their success is a lie. When their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, Nicky Roman, the heir to the crown — already battling an industry stacked against her — will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy.

Cast: Tba

Accused (for 2022-23 season)

Studios: Sony Pictures Television/Fox Entertainment

Team: Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa, David Shore, Glenn Geller (ep), Erin Gunn (ep), Jacob Cohen-Holmes (ep), Jimmy McGovern (ep), Sita Williams (ep), Roxy Spencer (ep)

Logline: Each episode opens in a courtroom with the accused without knowing their crime or how they ended up on trial. It follows how an ordinary person got caught up in an extraordinary situation, ultimately revealing how one wrong turn leads to another, until it’s too late to turn back. Based on the BBC series.

Cast: Tba

Comedy

Pivoting (Midseason; single camera)

Studios: Warner Bros. Television/Fox Entertainment/Kapital Entertainment

Team: Liz Astrof, Aaron Kaplan (ep), Dana Honor (ep), Tristram Shapeero

Logline: Follows three women after the death of their childhood best friend. Faced with the reality that life is short, in desperate attempts to find happiness, they make a series of impulsive, ill-advised and self-indulgent decisions, strengthening their bond proving it’s never too late to screw up your life.

Cast: Eliza Coupe, Ginnifer Goodwin, Maggie Q, Tommy Dewey, Jt Neal, Julian Reyes

Welcome To Flatch (Midseason; single camera; fka This Country)

Studios: Lionsgate/BBC Studios/Fox Entertainment/Feigco Entertainment

Team: Jenny Bicks, Paul Feig, Daisy May Cooper (ep), Charlie Cooper (ep), Angie Stephenson (ep), Dan Magnante (co-ep), Cathy Mason (p), Rachel Mason (p)

Logline: A documentary crew follows cousins Kelly and Shrub Mallet as they go about their daily lives in idiosyncratic surroundings.

Cast: Chelsea Holmes, Sam Straley, Seann William Scott, Aya Cash, Taylor Ortega, Justin Linville, Krystal Smith

Drama

LA Brea

Studios: Universal Television/Keshet Studios

Team: David Appelbaum, Avi Nir (ep), Alon Shtruzman (ep), Peter Traugott (ep), Rachel Kaplan (ep), Ken Woodruff (ep), Steven Lilien (ep), Bryan Wynbrandt (ep), Ken Woodruff (ep), Arika Lisanne Mittman (ep), Adam Davidson (ep), Thor Freudenthal (d)

Logline: A massive sinkhole opens in the middle of Los Angeles, pulling hundreds of people and buildings into its depths. Those who fell in find themselves in a mysterious and dangerous primeval land, where they have no choice but to band together to survive. Meanwhile, the rest of the world desperately seeks to understand what happened. In the search for answers, one family torn apart by this disaster will have to unlock the secrets of this inexplicable event to find a way back to each other.

Cast: Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Jon Seda, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chiké Okonkwo, Karina Logue, Zyra Gorecki, Jack Martin, Veronica St. Clair, Rohan Mirchandaney, Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie, Chloe De Los Santos, Ione Skye (recurring)

Law & Order: For The Defense

Studios: Universal Television/Wolf Entertainment

Team: Carol Mendelsohn, Dick Wolf (ep), Arthur Forney (ep), Julie Weitz (ep), Peter Jankowski (ep)

Logline: ‘Law & Order’ spinoff looks inside a criminal defense firm, putting the lawyers under a microscope, along with the criminal justice system.

Cast: Tba

Ordinary Joe

Studios: 20th Television/Universal Television/6th & Idaho/3 Arts

Team: Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner, Matt Reeves (ep), Adam Kassan (ep), Rafi Crohn (ep), Howard Klein (ep), Adam Davidson

Logline: Life is all about the choices you make – and sometimes what you do in a single moment can change everything. Joe Kimbreau faces one of these decisions at his college graduation. The three parallel stories that diverge from that night find Joe and the people around him with different careers, relationships and family lives, showing the unexpected ways that things change – and stay the same. But when it comes down to it, there is no “right” choice; no matter what happens, Joe’s life is always messy, exciting, tough, unpredictable … and beautiful.

Cast: James Wolk, Natalie Martinezt, Elizabeth Lail, Charlie Barnet

Comedy

American Auto (Midseason)single camera)

Studio: Universal Television/Spitzer Holding Company/Kapital Entertainment.

Team: Justin Spitzer, Aaron Kaplan (ep), Dana Honor (ep), Jeff Blitz

Logline: Set in Detroit, the corporate executives of Payne Motors are at a crossroads: adapt to the changing times or be sent to the junkyard. Shaking things up is the new CEO, whose leadership, experience and savvy is only slightly offset by her complete lack of knowledge about cars. Luckily, her team has some of the best minds in the business – when they aren’t fighting or trying to outwit one another.

Cast: Ana Gasteyer, Jon Barinholtz, Harriet Dyer, Humphrey Ker, Michael B. Washington, Tye White, X Mayo

Grand Crew (Midseason)single camera)

Studio: Universal Television

Team: Phil Augusta Jackson, Dan Goor, Mo Marable

Logline: Follows a group of young professionals all trying to navigate the ups and downs of life and love in Los Angeles — and they always find time to gather at their favorite bar to “wine down” and unpack it all.

Cast: Echo Kellum, Justin Cunningham, Carl Tart, Aaron Jennings, Nicole Byer

Limited Series

The Thing About Pam (Midseason)

Studios: Blumhouse Television/NBC News Studios/Big Picture Company

Team: Jessika Borsiczky, Jenny Klein, Renee Zellweger (ep), Carmella Casinelli (ep), Liz Cole (ep), Noah Oppenheim (ep), Jason Blum (ep), Chris McCumber (ep), Jeremy Gold (ep)

Logline: Based on the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria that resulted in her husband Russ’ conviction, though he insisted he did not kill her. His conviction later was overturned, but the brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp.

Cast: Renee Zellweger

4400

Studio: CBS Studios

Team: Ariana Jackson, Anna Fricke, Laura Terry (ep)

Logline: 4,400 overlooked, undervalued or otherwise marginalized people who vanished without a trace over the past hundred years all are returned in an instant, having not aged a day and with no memory of what happened to them. As the government races to analyze the potential threat and contain the story, the 4,400 themselves must grapple with the fact that they’ve been returned with a few … upgrades, and the increasing likelihood that they were all brought back now for a specific reason. Based on the 2004-07 USA Network series.

Cast: Joseph David-Jones, Khailah Johnson, Brittany Adebumola, Jaye Ladymore, Amarr Wooten

Launch Gallery: New Scripted Series On Network TV For 2021-22: Photo Gallery...

Even though this year’s Directors Guild of America ceremony is taking place virtually, there is no way to watch the DGA Awards online. But you’re in luck — Gold Derby has access to Saturday’s show and we’ll be revealing all of the 2021 winners as they happen live. Scroll down for our minute-by-minute breakdown of all of the champions, the A-list presenters and the special honors for this 73rd annual ceremony.

As a reminder, these kudos honor the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. The all-important DGA feature film category, which will be presented last, will serve as an important bellwether of the Best Director Oscar. Why? Because the guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho...

Exclusive: Writer Ike Holter, who is best known for his work on the FX series Fosse/Verdon, has signed with M88, which has become the go-to management firm representing a diverse generation of talented artists.

Prior to his work on Fosse/Verdon, Holter wrote several plays including Exit Strategy and Lottery Day. Holter’s LGBTQ political musical Hit the Wall, which opened in 2012 and chronicled the Stonewall riots, went on to become a massive success as it has sold out runs across the country. His commissions include South Coast Rep and Playwrights Horizons. Fosse/Vernon marks Holter’s first foray into the TV world. The FX limited series won the WGA Award for Best Long Form Adaptation.

Holter is currently writing Harold, a limited series for Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios. Based on Gary Rivlin’s book Fire on the Prairie, the series follows Harold Washington, the first Black mayor...