Max has released the trailer for Season 2 of “Julia,” the streamer’s series about the life of Julia Child, which will have a three-episode premiere on Thursday, Nov. 16. One episode will release weekly following the premiere, through Dec. 21.
Returning series regulars include Sarah Lancashire, David Hyde Pierce, Bebe Neuwirth, Brittany Bradford, Fran Kranz, Fiona Glascott, and Robert Joy.
The second season continues to follow Julia (Lancashire) and her husband Paul after the launch of her famous cooking show.
The logline reads, “With her trailblazing cooking show up and running on the air, Julia grapples with her rising celebrity and what that means for her, her colleagues and her show. In Season 2, Julia and her devoted husband Paul return from Simca’s home in France to find that her success has changed everything.”
The summary continues, “Through her singular joie de vivre, she and her team must navigate WGBH, the White House and a threat from their past, while continuing to spearhead female-driven public television and confront social issues still prevalent today.”
Popular on Variety
“Julia” is produced by Lionsgate and 3 Arts Entertainment. Chris Keyser — who was also the co-chair of the negotiating committee of the Writers Guild of America — is the showrunner and executive producer, with creator Daniel Goldfarb. Erwin Stoff of 3 Arts Entertainment also executive produces in addition to Kimberly Carver, Charles McDougall, Donna Bloom and Erica Lipez. Todd Schulkin serves as a consulting producer on behalf of The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts.
Watch the trailer below.
In other TV roundup news:
FIRST LOOKS
Starz has released the trailer for Season 3 of “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” premiering Dec. 1. The spin-off of “Power” follows MeKai Curtis as Kanan Stark, the younger version of the character played by 50 Cent in “Power,” and depicts how he grew into the man fans were originally introduced to.
The show’s description reads, “Season three picks up where we left off, in Southside Jamaica Queens with the Thomas family in turmoil and reeling from the Mob’s coordinated attack on Raquel, Marvin and Lou-Lou. After her close call, Raquel is looking to make a fresh start, but Kanan doesn’t trust her or believe it when she says she’s done.”
Season 3 also features Tony Danza as an Italian mob boss and new antagonists Snap and Pop, played by Wendell Pierce and Erika Woods. The rest of the cast includes Omar Epps as Detective Malcolm Howard, London Brown as Marvin Thomas, Malcolm Mays as Lou-Lou Thomas, Hailey Kilgore as Jukebox, Joey Bada$$ as Unique, Shanley Caswell as Detective Burke and Antonio Ortiz as Famous and Grantham Coleman as Ronnie.
Sasha Penn serves as showrunner and executive producer. “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” is the second spin-off series in the “Power” universe. Courtney A. Kemp, the original creator and showrunner of “Power,” executive produces the spin-off series under her End of Episode banner; Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson executive produces through G-Unit Film and Television in addition to Mark Canton for Entertainment MM. Additional executive producers include Chris Selak, Kevin Fox, Santa Sierra, and Tash Grey.
Watch the trailer here.
*
Peacock has released the trailer for “Paris in Love” Season 2. All eight episodes will premiere on Nov. 30.
“Paris in Love” follows Paris Hilton, her husband Carter Reum and their baby boy, Phoenix. Season 2 explores Hilton’s journey into motherhood, including her secret surrogacy plans and how she balances her work and family life.
Per the logline for Season 2, “Paris Hilton is keeping a life-changing surprise, even from her own family. She and her husband welcome their first child in secret as a way to protect him from a media frenzy, which throws her close-knit family for a loop. As she learns to navigate motherhood and career demands, Paris also drops a bombshell memoir revealing decades of untold traumas, rocking her world and her family once more.”
The show is executive produced by Hilton, Mike Darnell, Dan Peirson, Lisa Shannon, Bridgette Theriault, Ailee O’Neill, Jen Cassell, Lucy Bennett, Sunny Franklin, Bruce Gersh and Bruce Robertson. “Paris in Love” is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Shed Media, Telepictures and Slivington Manor Entertainment.
Watch the trailer below.
*
Social media star Josh Richards’s sketch comedy series “Read the Room” has released a trailer.
According to the series description, “Read the Room” is “a fast-paced, absurd collection of short films, parodies and musical numbers that build into their own dysfunctional yet comedic world — filling sketches with crossover jokes and characters that make rewatching an experience in itself.” Produced under Richards’s Crosscheck banner in accordance with SAG-AFTRA guidelines, the seven-episode series features Richards along with guest stars such as stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings, “A Cinderella Story: Starstruck” actor Michael Evans Behling and YouTuber Anthony Reeves, among others.
The trailer previews numerous snippets of “Read the Room” in which Richards assumes the identities of different characters. These moments include a humorous riff on Jack and Rose’s door moment in the 1997 film “Titanic,” with Richards playing Jack; Richards as skateboarder Parker Parkour; and Richards being auctioned off as a date.
The season will debut on Nov. 7 across Richards’s social media pages, with one episode dropping weekly until the season finale on Dec. 19.
Watch the trailer below.
*
Prime Video has released a teaser trailer for the second season of docuseries “Coach Prime.”
After the first season centered on Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and his role as head football coach at Jackson State University, the second season of “Coach Prime” will follow Sanders and his journey with the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) football program. As the new head football coach at CU Boulder, Sanders works to transform the team and put CU Boulder football on a path towards success.
The trailer features former football player and TV personality Michael Strahan describing Sanders as bringing “a level of excitement unlike any coaches that we’ve seen.”
“We ain’t got tomorrow,” Sanders tells the team in a motivational pep talk. “We got now.”
The first two episodes of the second season will premiere exclusively on Prime Video Dec. 7, with a total of six episodes being released.
Watch the teaser below.
SPECIALS
Kelly Clarkson will be hosting and performing at NBC’s annual “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special, when Rockefeller’s Christmas tree will be lit. The decades-spanning tradition, which dates back to 1931, will air on NBC and simulcast on Peacock on Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
At the same venue where she hosts her daytime talk show, Clarkson will perform a variety of festive songs. She has released two holiday albums in her career, “When Christmas Comes Around…” (2021) and “Wrapped in Red” (2013). This will be the twentieth anniversary since she performed at “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” for the first time.
Clarkson said, “I’m so excited to consider this city and Rockefeller Center my new home, and I can’t imagine a better way to kick off Christmas this year than to be a part of this beautiful New York tradition with the lighting of the tree!”
Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Craig Melvin will also be present for the tree lighting.
Before the primetime telecast, a special live hour featuring Mario Lopez and WNBC news anchors Natalie Pasquarella and David Ushery will air at 7 p.m.
Brad Lachman Productions produces “Christmas in Rockefeller Center.” Brad Lachman and Bill Bracken are executive producers; Glenn Weiss will direct the special.
PROGRAMMING
CNBC’s new primetime documentary “Inside Track: The Business of Formula 1” will premiere on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. ET, ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. CNBC Pro subscribers will get early access to stream the hour-long documentary on the same day at 7 p.m. ET.
CNBC anchor Sara Eisen will delve into “how the elite, internationally esteemed motorsports league has achieved rapid growth in attendance, viewership, and market value and examines the sport’s future – including the new and ambitious Las Vegas Grand Prix,” according to the release. The documentary will profile the industry’s top executives, F1’s leadership and the drivers to explore what is fueling Formula 1’s immense popularity.
Eisen filmed on-site at four 2023 races in Miami, Montreal, Silverstone and Austin, interviewing several prominent members of the field including Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, Formula One Group CEO Stefano Domenicali and Toto Wolff, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 team principal and CEO, among several others.
“This is a true passion project for me, and I am so excited to give the CNBC audience and Formula 1 fans alike a closer look at the business of this global phenomenon – one that stands firmly at the intersection of sports, technology and culture,” Eisen said in a statement. “I was initially drawn to F1 because my two young children love the sport, but once we started watching the races together, I realized there was something undeniably fascinating from a business perspective that demanded a full exploration of the sport as it reaches new heights in America.”
*
PBS’ new six-part series “A Brief History of the Future” will premiere on April 3, 2024, with new episodes releasing on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET until May 8. The series is executive produced by Drake’s Emmy-winning company DreamCrew, along with philanthropist Wendy Schmidt, Kathryn Murdoch and Ari Wallach.
“Showing what the future can be is critical to getting there. People need to have hope and to understand what we’re capable of,” Murdoch said in a statement. “From AI to floating cities, restoring coral reefs to deliberative democracy, there are so many exciting futures to explore.”
Hosted by Wallach, “A Brief History of the Future” will challenge “the dystopian framework embraced by popular culture by offering a refreshing take on the future exploring potential solutions to our existential threats,” according to the release.
“We want to create an inspiring counterpoint to the doomerism and dystopia that dominates much of today’s public discourse about the future,” Wallach said in a statement.
The series will feature insights from a range of people including Emmanuel Macron, Pete Buttigieg, Vivek Murthy, sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur, Grimes, architect Bjarke Ingels, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe and soccer player Kylian Mbappé, among others.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
Nexstar Media Group has promoted Steven Blanchard to the position of vice president and general manager of their broadcasting and digital operations based in Richmond, VA. He will report to Brandin Stewart, senior vice president and regional manager for Nexstar’s broadcasting division.
Blanchard has worked for Nexstar since 2013, serving as director of sales for WFLA-TV (NBC), WTTA-TV (CW) and WSNN, Nextstar’s media properties serving the Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota market of Florida.
“Steven is a great choice to lead Nexstar’s broadcast and digital operations in Richmond,” Stewart said. “He is extremely familiar with Nexstar, our multiplatform business model, and our strategies for growth and service to the community. He’s done an outstanding job overseeing sales in the Tampa market, has been successful everywhere he’s been, and instinctively knows how to connect with viewers, advertisers and the community. I am looking forward to working with Steven in this new role.”
*
Eureka Productions announced that David Tibballs has been named executive vice president, programming and development. He will report to co-CEOs Chris Culvenor and Paul Franklin.
Tibballs will work closely with Jeanne Petrone-Arzubiaga, who is senior vice president, production and post-production, while also helming the expansion of the company’s development slate for US networks and platforms.
Upcoming Eureka projects include Season 2 of “The Mole” on Netflix and Season 2 of “Farmer Wants a Wife” on Fox, and the upcoming new series “The Floor” on Fox.
“David is a world-class producer and showrunner who has led the production of some of Eureka’s most successful series,” said Franklin, co-CEO.
Tibbals first joined Eureka in 2021 and became senior vice president of programming. He was executive producer on Season 1 of “The Mole” and now serves as showrunner for Season 2 of the series.
DEALS
Nexstar Media Group and ReachTV have announced the extension of their partnership to distribute NewsNation and the CW network’s sports programming. This includes ACC College Football and Basketball in addition to Liv Golf.
The new live news programming and sports broadcasts will be available immediately. Through NewsNation and the CW’s extended partnership, their sports programming with will reach over 50 million viewers per month on ReachTV’s streaming TV network.
“Nexstar always looks for ways to extend the distribution of NewsNation and The CW Network to new audiences,” said Dana Zimmer, Nexstar’s president of distribution. “This new partnership with ReachTV enables both of these national networks to deliver their exclusive live content to millions of travelers in hotels and airports across the United States, and provides our advertisers with access to new and even larger audiences.”
ReachTV also has a deal with the NFL in which it streams every NFL game.
*
Canela Media, a media company focused on the Latino community, has partnered with presenting sponsor Hyundai for Season 2 of “Secretos de Villanas,” an unscripted reality series on Canela.TV.
Under this partnership with the car company, an original short created by Canela Studios, “A Day in Life of Aylin,” will be available for fans to watch. Aylin Mujica, one of the “villanas,” will be shown as she “goes about her day in a Hyundai Palisade, [with] comfort and style on prominent display, connecting the brand’s rising popularity with the growing market of U.S. Latino car buyers.” This short can be found in the “Secretos” collection on Canela.TV.
The partnership also involves spots in the show’s episodes as well as on Canela.TV’s digital and social media.
“Canela.TV and ‘Secretos de Villanas’ is an important strategic partner for Hyundai to build positive, authentic brand associations and to reach a consumer demographic that is critical to our growth today and in the future,” said Angela Zepeda, chief marketing officer, Hyundai Motor America.
The summary for “Secretos de Villinas” explains that the show “brings together seven iconic telenovela villains as Gabriela Spanic hosts a getaway for Laura Zapata, Cynthia Klitbo, Aylin Mujica, Sabine Moussier, Geraldine Bazán, and Sarah Mintz and they embark on a luxurious vacation to a lavish villa nestled in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada.”
*
SiriusXM and Fox News Media have announced a new long-term agreement to continue to offer Fox News Channel (FNC), Fox Business Network (FBN) and Fox News Headlines exclusively on SiriusXM platforms for SiriusXM subscribers. Through this guaranteed exclusive deal, FNC will air on Channel 114, FBN on Channel 113 and Fox News Headlines 24/7 on Channel 115.
Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News Media, commented on the continuation of the companies’ partnership: “We value our relationship with SiriusXM and are pleased to extend our broadcast agreement, ensuring their audience continued access to their favorite FOX News personalities and powerful primetime lineup.”
The deal also offers subscribers’ the ability to access the audio of Fox News Media’s primetime lineup including titles like “The Five” and “Special Report with Bret Baier.”
Furthermore, Fox News will keep producing the Fox News Headlines 24/7 channel exclusively for SiriusXM.
RENEWALS
HGTV is renewing its renovation competition series “Rock the Block,” this time featuring waterfront homes and returning teams looking for redemption. Set for a premiere in March, the new season includes seven episodes hosted by carpenter, craftsman and design expert Ty Pennington. Competitors vie for the achievement of adding the most value to Florida waterfront homes — in addition to a street named in their honor if they win.
Competitors include Bryan and Sarah Baeumler; Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas; Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis; and Page Turner and Mitch Glew. The teams get six weeks and $250,000 to renovate homes.
“The competition format is incredibly popular with our viewers, with the previous run of ‘Rock the Block’ delivering HGTV’s highest-rated title in the first quarter of 2023 among two coveted demos, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54,” said Loren Ruch, head of content at HGTV. “This season’s four expert teams know what it takes to compete on the block, so we’ll keep them on their toes and crank up the intensity with unexpected new challenges. Our stars are ready for a rematch and won’t hold back to win it all.”
AWARDS
“Succession” creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong will receive the 2023 International Emmy Founders Award at the International Emmy Awards Gala on Nov. 20, announced the International Academy of Television and Arts.
“Since its debut, ‘Succession’ has entered the cultural zeitgeist – obsessing audiences around the world with its highly original cast of characters and Machiavellian plots,” said Bruce L. Paisner, International Academy president and CEO. “We look forward to honoring Jesse Armstrong’s extraordinary talent and global impact with our Founders Award.”
The British author, screenwriter and producer is also the co-creator of the series “Peep Show,” “Fresh Meat” and “Babylon.”
Armstrong will receive the award at the black tie gala in New York City.
