BRAVO SETS DATE FOR ‘VANDERPUMP RULES' THREE-PART REUNION (TV NEWS ROUNDUP)
Bravo has announced the date for the Season 11 “Vanderpump Rules” three part-reunion, the first of which premieres May 14 at 8 p.m. ET with extended and uncensored versions available to stream the next day on Peacock.
The reunion will feature Lisa Vanderpump, Ariana Madix, James Kennedy, Katie Maloney, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz and Brock Davies with Andy Cohen serving as host. Ally Lewber and Jo Wenberg will join the group in Part 2.
The 11th season of the show began filming a few months after the events of the Scandoval, a secret affair in which Sandoval cheated on his longtime partner Madix with former fellow “Vanderpump Rules” cast member Rachel Leviss. The scandal, which became public in early March 2023, propelled the show into the zeitgeist, and series-high ratings. In its wake, Season 11 proved to be difficult to film, with Madix largely refusing to speak with Sandoval, and Leviss deciding not to return after she’d spent time in a mental health facility.
The cast became increasingly divided as the season went on, with Kent and Shay (and Shay’s husband, Davies) openly complaining about Madix’s decision not to engage with Sandoval. They’ve also expressed jealousy about the opportunities Madix has gotten as a result of the attention the Scandoval brought her.
In the trailer for the reunion, Cohen says they’ll be watching the last part of the finale together, and whatever they see, Madix cries as a result. A tearful Sandoval pleads with her, and she says: “I just want you away from me. I just want you gone.”
Following Part 3 of the reunion, a “Vanderpump Rules: Secrets Revealed” episode exposing never-before-seen clips from the show will stream on Peacock May 29.
The Season 11 finale of “Vanderpump Rules” airs May 7 at 8 p.m. ET.
In other TV roundup news:
PROGRAMMING
Sean Hannity’s “Outlaws and Lawmen: The West” will premiere on Fox Nation May 8, as announced by Fox Nation president Lauren Petterson. Hosted by Hannity, the historical drama series will explore the true stories of the lawmen and outlaws of the Wild West, revealing how the events of the past led to the rise of modern law enforcement.
"As our viewers know, I am a strong supporter of our men and women in law enforcement and I look forward to spotlighting a period of time that is pivotal in their origin,” Hannity said.
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In partnership with the NHL and the NBA, ABC will debut a series of spots starting Monday to usher in the upcoming NHL and NBA playoffs.
Series featured in the spots include “Good Morning America,” “The Rookie,” “9-1-1,” “Jimmy Kimmel, Live,” “Will Trent,” “The Bachelorette,” “American Idol” and “Abbott Elementary.” Also featured is former NBA player and champion Richard Jefferson.
Watch the promos below.
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A new iteration of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will return to ABC and stream the next day on Hulu for the 2024-2025 season. Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, co-founders of lifestyle brand The Home Edit, serve as hosts.
The home makeover series sees Shearer and Teplin teaming up with deserving families to complete a custom redesign of their homes. At their disposal is a team of builders and contractors from homebuilder Taylor Morrison.
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is produced by Endemol Shine North America and Hello Sunshine in association with Walt Disney Television Alternative. Shyam Balsé serves as showrunner and executive producer along with executive producers Sharon Levy and Michael Heyerman from Endemol Shine North America; and Reese Witherspoon, Sara Rea and Cassie Lambert Scalettar from Hello Sunshine, and Molly Sims.
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NBCUniversal and Pluto have unveiled plans to launch 15 local NBC and Telemundo news streaming channels on Pluto TV. The release of the free ad-supported FAST channels will begin Wednesday and will continue to roll out throughout May.
The channels available now include NBC New York News, NBC Los Angeles News, NBC Chicago News, NBC Philadelphia News and NBC Washington D.C. News.
"We are excited to grow our existing partnership with Pluto TV and expand the reach of our premium local news content to new audiences," said Amy Geary, SVP of NBCUniversal content distribution. "News remains a valuable asset in our NBCUniversal portfolio and we are thrilled to offer these regional networks to Pluto TV audiences."
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National Geographic has picked up a second season of “Animals Up Close With Bertie Gregory” and a fifth season of “Trafficked Underworlds with Mariana van Zeller.” “Up Close” will stream exclusively on Disney+ while “Trafficked’ will debut on Hulu.
“Animals Up Close With Bertie Gregory” is produced by Wildstar Films for National Geographic. Gregory is host, producer and director of photography. Anwar Mamon serves as executive producer and Jennie Hammond is the series producer under the Wildstar banner. Janet Han Vissering is SVP of production and development and Drew Jones serves as executive producer for National Geographic.
“Trafficked Underworlds with Mariana van Zeller” is produced for National Geographic by Muck Media. Zeller, Darren Foster and Jeff Plunkett are executive producers for Muck Media. For National Geographic, Sean Johnson and Chad Cohen are executive producers, Bengt Anderson is senior vice president of unscripted content and Tom McDonald is executive vice president of global factual and unscripted content.
EVENTS
Uzo Aduba, the three-time Emmy Award-winning actress known for her work on “Orange Is the New Black” and “Mrs. America” will be honored as the 2024 Commencement speaker at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. The ceremony is set to take place on May 18, and is held at Chapman University’s Wilson Field.
Aduba first gained attention from her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in Netflix's “Orange Is the New Black.” Her work on the series earned her two SAG Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy, and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015 and an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy in 2014. By earning these honors, she became the first Black actress to win the award in each category. Aduba also won a Tony Award in 2022 for her performance in “Clyde’s.”
“Uzo Aduba is one of the exceptional talents of our time,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of Dodge College. “She represents everything we most cherish at Dodge College: a fierce intelligence, originality and the highest commitment to excellence. We are thrilled to have her as our Commencement speaker this year.”
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Stand Up To Cancer will host a livestream event May 16 in collaboration with daytime community voices Alan Locher and Michael Fairman, “Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer … We All Have a Story.”
The three-hour benefit will feature stars from the world of daytime drama television, musical performances and stories of on- and off-screen experiences with cancer. Special celebrity guests will also join the effort to encourage viewers to support urgently needed research and new cancer treatments. It will stream starting at 5 p.m. PT on Alan Locher and Michael Fairman's YouTube channels and at StandUpToCancer.org/DaytimeStandsUp.
In support of the event, Stand Up To Cancer will simultaneously launch a 10-day eBay silent auction from May 16 through 26 for soap opera fans to bid on a wide range of items, including a meet-and-greet experience with the cast of NBC's “Days of Our Lives”; an autographed script from the cast of CBS's “The Young and the Restless” and signed merch from CBS's “The Bold and the Beautiful” cast; a 1:1 video call with “General Hospital” stars Cynthia Watros, Maura West and Laura Wright and more.
FIRST LOOKS/TRAILERS
Peacock has unveiled a first look at reality star Ariana Madix as host of the sixth season of “Love Island USA” which premieres June 11. The new season sees the islanders return to the season one location of Fiji.
David George, Adam Sher, Simon Thomas, Ben Thursby-Palmer, Claudine Parrish, James Barker, Blake Garrett, Courtney Rosenthall, Richard Cowles, Mike Spencer, Richard Foster and Chet Fenster serve as executive producers. “Love Island USA” is produced by ITV Entertainment, an ITV America company, and based on a format owned by Lifted Entertainment and GroupM Motion Entertainment. The series is distributed by ITV Studios.
Watch the first look below.
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The official trailer for AMC Networks drama series “Orphan Black: Echoes” has released, with the series set to premiere June 23 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on AMC and BBC AMERICA and available to stream on AMC+. New episodes will air weekly on Sundays at 10pm ET/PT.
Set within the original universe of the “Orphan Black” series and starring “Marvel's Jessica Jones” star and “Orphan Black: Echoes” executive producer Krysten Ritter the sci-fi thriller is set in the near future and dives into the scientific manipulation of human existence.
Ritter plays Lucy, who is trying to find her place in the world. The series also stars Keeley Hawes, Amanda Fix, Avan Jogia, Rya Kihlstedt and James Hiroyuki Liao. Anna Fishko is creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer of “Orphan Black: Echoes” with John Fawcett, the co-creator of the original series who also directed 17 episodes across all five seasons, serving as director and executive producer. David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg executive produce. Boat Rocker's Nick Nantell also executive produces, in addition to Katie O'Connell Marsh and Kerry Appleyard.
Watch the trailer below.
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Starz has released a trailer and key art for the final season of “Power Book II: Ghost.” Part one premieres June 7 at midnight ET on the Starz app and on the Starz channel at 8:00 p.m. ET in the U.S. and 9:00 p.m. ET in Canada. Part two premieres on Sept. 6 at midnight ET on the Starz app and on the Starz channel at 8:00 p.m. ET in the U.S. and 9:00 p.m. ET in Canada.
According to the official logline, the new season follows, “Tariq [who] must decide whether to embrace the St. Patrick name for better or for worse. As power dynamics and family tensions reach their peak, the high-adrenaline twists and turns of this season will have viewers guessing who, if anyone, makes it out alive.”
Brett Mahoney serves as showrunner and executive producer for the final season. The "Power" Universe series is executive produced by Courtney A. Kemp through her End of Episode banner, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson through G-Unit Film and Television and Mark Canton through Canton Entertainment. Lionsgate Television produces the series for Starz.
Watch the trailer below.
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"Women in Blue" ("Las Azules"), the Apple TV+ crime drama will premiere July 31. The streamer released first-look images for the upcoming ten-episode Spanish-language series, which features an entirely Hispanic cast and crew led by Bárbara Mori.
Created by showrunner and director Fernando Rovzar and Pablo Aramendi, "Women in Blue” will release the first two episodes, followed by one weekly episode through Sept. 25.
The series, set in 1970 and inspired by real events, tells the story of four women who defy the ultra-conservative norms of the time and join Mexico's first female police force, only to discover that their squad is a publicity stunt to distract the media from a brutal serial killer.
The series stars Mori, Sariñana, Téllez, Rasgado, Miguel Rodarte, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Christian Tappan, and Horacio García Rojas. Rovzar, Wendy Riss, Erica Sanchez Su and Sandra Solares serve as executive producers. The series is produced for Apple TV+ by Lemon Studios.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
The Russo Brothers have appointed chief innovation officer Jake Aust to lead a new innovation department at their production company AGBO. This new arm of AGBO aims to expand storytelling capabilities by blending physical and virtual production.
The group will be comprised of three verticles: production technology, immersive technology and creative. Serving under Aust will be president of production technology Glenn Derry, president of immersive technology Josh Andersen and creative directors Ryan McNeely and Josh Cranston.
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Content studio North Road has hired Rochelle Gerson as head of business affairs. The former Netflix and HBO executive will oversee the and execution of all content deals across North Road’s portfolio.
"North Road is an incredible company to join, boasting a fantastic collection of content companies as well as the resources and ambition to keep reaching new heights,” Gerson said. “The impact of the team's unparalleled strategic vision can be seen in every individual piece of the company, and even more in the way they complement each other and position the company for growth.”
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The California Institute of the Arts has appointed Ranu Mukherjee as the dean of its School of Film/Video. She begins her role on August 15.
Mukherjee is coming from California College of the Arts, where she is currently a professor and chair of film. She previously served terms as chair and assistant chair of CCA's Graduate Fine Art Program. Mukherjee also spent eight years on faculty in visual arts at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
"I am thrilled to be joining CalArts, a community of artists whose history of radical pedagogy and visionary artwork has long had an influence on me," Mukherjee said. "The way the School of Film/Video holds together distinctive models and resources in an environment of personal choice, to support students' vision and creation, is endlessly inspiring."
DATES
“Disney Jr.’s Ariel,” inspired by “The Little Mermaid,” will debut June 27 on Disney Junior and air on Disney Channel later that day. An initial batch of eight episodes will be available on Disney+ June 28.
New recurring cast members for the series include Yvette Nicole Brown, Melissa Villaseñor and Ron Funches. Additionally, a new series of shorts titled "Disney Jr.'s Ariel: Mermaid Tales" will be featured across Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney Jr. starting June 5. Each two-minute short will highlight a different aspect of Ariel's life in Atlantica.
Set in the Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica, the series follows young mermaid princess Ariel (Mykal-Michelle Harris) as she embarks on underwater adventures with her family and friends, including King Triton (Taye Diggs), Ursula (Amber Riley), Flounder (Gracen Newton) and mer-friends Fernie (Cruz Flateau) and Lucia (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro).
Each episode highlights themes of self-expression, curiosity and resourcefulness and celebrates the multicultural elements of the Caribbean through food, fashion, language and folklore. "Disney Jr.'s Ariel" is executive produced by Lynne Southerland and is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Jr.
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New "Bluey Minisodes" will start rolling out this July on Disney Jr. and Disney+, with the collection including 20 one- to three-minute shorts written by "Bluey" creator Joe Brumm and produced by Ludo Studio. The "Bluey Minisodes" highlight funny and sweet moments featuring Bluey and Bingo, leaning into playful interactions and games that further explore the characters and world of "Bluey."
"Bluey" premiered its first extended-length special, "The Sign," in April. It ranks as both the most-viewed "Bluey" and Disney Jr. episode premiere ever. The series follows Bluey, a blue heeler dog who lives with her Mum, Dad and little sister, Bingo. Bluey uses her limitless energy to play games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family and the whole neighborhood into her world of fun.