TV Bits: 'Party Of Five', 'Black Mirror', 'Peaky Blinders', 'The Hellfire Club', 'I May Destroy You', 'Turn Up Charlie'
In this edition of TV Bits:
Party of Five got itself a reboot on Freeform, but it appears to have been very shortlived. The series has been canceled after only one season. In this new take on the series, "Five children suddenly find themselves without their parents in this remake of the '90s Fox drama. When their parents are deported back to Mexico, Emilio, Beto, Lucia, Valentina, and Rafael must learn to fend for themselves until they can find a way to get their parents, Javier and Gloria, back into the United States." The show had midlevel ratings to begin with, and those ratings only dropped as the first season went along. 
Black Mirror: Smithereens – the episode featuring hot priest Andrew Scott – wants you to call it a movie, not a TV show, thank you very much. Variety says the ep has been submitted to the Emmy Awards in the TV movie and movie/mini categories this year. The episode runs 70 minutes, which is five-minutes shorter than the Emmy rules require to be considered a movie. But Netflix was able to convince the Emmys to allow Smithereens to be included, so good for them, I guess!
Stephen Graham, known for being a great character actor and also wearing shorts to meetings, is joining the cast of Peaky Blinders. In fact, he was supposed to start shooting his part on the show's sixth season by now – but then the coronavirus shut things down. There are no details on Graham's part on the series, but it's safe to assume he'll be in the show whenever it starts back up again.
The Hellfire Club, a novel by CNN newsman Jake Tapper, is getting the TV treatment from HBO Max. According to Deadline, Mark L. Smith is handling the adaptation of the book, which "tells the story of Charlie Marder, a young Freshman Congressman who arrives in 1950s Washington D.C. after the mysterious death of his predecessor. Finding himself thrust into the dangerous waters of politics at the height of Joe McCarthy's "Red Scare", he and his zoologist wife Margaret must quickly learn who is friend and who is foe. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers, a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history. When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career, but for his life." HBO Max launches on May 27.
Above you can see the trailer for I May Destroy You, "A fearless, frank and provocative half-hour series exploring the question of sexual consent and where, in the new landscape of dating and relationships, the distinction between liberation and exploitation lies. Set in London, where gratification is only an app away, the story centers on Arabella (Michaela Coel), a carefree, self-assured Londoner with a group of great friends, a boyfriend in Italy, and a burgeoning writing career. But when her drink is spiked with a date-rape drug, she must question and rebuild every element of her life." The series debuts on HBO June 7.
You probably forget this already, but Idris Elba has his own show on Netflix where he plays a DJ. It's called Turn Up Charlie, and it looks like it only lasted for one season. Netflix has canceled the show, releasing the following statement:
"Turn Up Charlie will not return for a second season. We're especially grateful to star and executive producer Idris Elba, who turned his passion for DJing into a witty, heartwarming comedy series. We're also thankful to executive producers Gary Reich and Tristram Shapeero and co-executive producers Martin Joyce and Ana Garanito, along with the dedicated cast and crew, for bringing this story to life on Netflix. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Idris on future projects."
Korean director Yeon Sang-ho, the filmmaker behind the excellent Train to Busan, is working on a Netflix show called Hellbound. Screen Daily says the show "will tell a story of surviving under social chaos, when a group of supernatural beings appear and condemn people to hell. A new religious group interprets them as the will of the divine." I immediately want to see this.