TV Bits: 'Masters Of The Universe', 'After Life', 'Yellowstone', 'Project Blue Book', 'Fuller House', And More
In this edition of TV Bits:
Let's kick things off with CBS, shall we? The network just announced a whole slew of renewals and cancelations, which is good news for some shows and bad news for others. Here are the shows that were lucky enough to get renewed:
And now for the not-so-lucky shows that got the axe:
Condolences to fans of those respective shows.
Speaking with Comic Book, Kevin Smith dropped some new info on his Netflix He-Man series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation. The series, which is a "direct sequel series to the classic era of Masters of the Universe. Featuring fan favorites He-Man, Orko, Cringer, and Man-At-Arms, the story pits our heroic warriors and guardians of Castle Grayskull against Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Beast Man and the vile legions of Snake Mountain," has a huge cast, and according to Smith:
"It's in the style of an anime...what Netflix calls an anime original...but looks exactly like our classic characters. Nobody's been redesigned to where you're 'Oh that's the 2020 version.' They all look like they're supposed to. And the story functions as essentially the next episode when [the 1980s original animated series] stopped...We begin where they ended, the same tone like that, and then our tone shifts as something cataclysmic happens. That's where our modern story kicks in. Even then, it's not like 'Everything you know about He-Man is wrong. We're gonna upend the universe. Everything you knew about He-Man you need to know in order to watch the show because we play thick and fast with mythology."
There's no premiere date set yet for the series.
Netflix has given the Ricky Gervais series After Life a third season. In season 1, "Tony (Ricky Gervais) had a perfect life. But after his wife Lisa dies, Tony changes. After contemplating taking his own life, he decides instead to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he likes from now on. He thinks it's like a Super Power — not caring about himself or anyone else — but it turns out to be tricky when everyone is trying to save the nice guy they used to know." Then, in season 2 "whilst still struggling with immense grief for his wife, we see Tony try to become a better friend to those around him. Each grappling with their own problems and only to be intensified by the looming threat of the local newspaper being shut down." Season 2 premiered in April.
Saddle up and head back to Yellowstone! The Paramount Network series has itself a third season that once again "follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner). The Duttons control the largest contiguous ranch in the U.S. and must contend with constant attacks by land developers, clashes with an Indian reservation, and conflict with America's first national park." And since this is the ultimate dad show, it arrives on Father's Day Sunday June 21, 2020.
Peacock, yet another streaming service, is not going to leave Apple users out in the cold. The NBCUniversal-owned service just struck a deal with Apple to be available on Apple devices in July. Per the official press release:
When it launches in July, Peacock will be fully integrated with the Apple TV app, so customers can enjoy a seamless watching experience across Apple devices and find Peacock content in the Watch Now section, add shows, movies and live sports to Up Next to ensure they never miss a thing, and use Siri to easily search for Peacock content. Customers will be able to sign up for Peacock Free or upgrade to Peacock Premium directly within the Peacock app on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV using in-app purchase.
Two History shows have bit the dust. The UFO drama Project Blue Book is ending after two seasons, which will probably upset fans, since season 2 ended on a cliffhanger. Meanwhile, Knightfall is ending after two seasons as well. The show, which was about the Knights Templar, added Mark Hamill to the cast for the second season. But apparently that wasn't enough to keep things going.
It feels like we already forgot about Quibi, but the short-form streaming service is still around! And it's still adding new shows! Alternatino, a series that debuted on Comedy Central last year, is headed to the service. The show is "a collection of sketches based on Arturo Castro's experiences as a Latino millennial in the US. Arturo satirizes everything from dating in the age of social media, to US culture and the political climate."
It's time to say goodbye to Fuller House. The Full House spin-off is launching its fifth and final season on June 2, and here's the trailer to prove it. In Fuller House, "life can take you in unexpected directions and also into familiar territory when D.J. Tanner-Fuller finds herself living in her childhood home with younger sister and aspiring musician Stephanie Tanner and DJ's lifelong best friend/fellow single mother Kimmy Gibbler. In Fuller House's fifth and final season, the Tanner childhood house is fuller than ever with DJ's three boys, Stephanie's new baby, and Kimmy's feisty family as the she-wolf pack prepares for a triple wedding and celebrates all of the memories that have led them there."
The anthology series Room 104 is returning for a fourth and final season on July 24. Created by the Duplass Brothers, the final season will have 12 episodes, each about characters passing through one single motel room. Here are the details:
Exploring a variety of genres, from dark comedy to sci-fi, to the series' first ever animated episode and original songs, this season will continue to surprise viewers week to week. The premiere episode will be the first time in the series that Mark Duplass stars, writes, directs and performs original music. Stories and characters featured in season four include: an estranged performer giving a one-night-only performance; a woman battling her dark past with addiction; a dollhouse; transporting back in time; and more. Providing one last glimpse into the lives of the guests in Room 104, the final season of the genre bending, and risk-taking anthology proves to be another showcase of writing, performing and directing.
Smash, a series that has a cult following even though it barely lasted two seasons, is about to live again. Sort of. Per Variety, the cast is getting together "for a one-night-only virtual performance of Bombshell In Concert on May 20 to raise money for The Actors Fund." Renee Zellweger will introduce the show, and during an intermission, Julie Klausner is hosting a live, virtual cast reunion. People scheduled to appear: Christian Borle, Jaime Cepero, Will Chase, Brian d'Arcy James, Jack Davenport, Ann Harada, Megan Hilty, Jeremy Jordan, Katharine McPhee, Andy Mientus, Debra Messing, Leslie Odom Jr., Krysta Rodriguez, and Wesley Taylor.
Here's your first look at the animated One Day at a Time. Since production on the show is currently shut down, a remote animated episode has been put together, featuring (from left to right in the image above) Mirtha (Gloria Estefan), Estrellita (Melissa Fumero), Juanito (Lin-Manuel Miranda), Schneider (Todd Grinnell), Penelope (Justina Machado), Elena (Isabella Gomez), Alex (Marcel Ruiz), Lydia (Rita Moreno), Flavio (David Miranda), and Gloria Estefan (Gloria Estefan). Yes, Gloria Estefan is on the show and will also be playing herself. I have to say: I like this approach to dealing with production shutdowns much more than the idea of having a bunch of actors talking directly to Zoom screens. The animated episode premieres on Pop TV on June 16.