It was CBS’s turn at the TCAs yesterday:
First of all, CBS — the network most plagued with sexual harassment and abuse scandals going all the way to the top with the Chairman and CEO — seems remarkably unbothered by some allegations, just as long as the show does well. For instance, the situation at Bull, where CBS had to pay out a $9.5 settlement to Eliza Dukshu after Michael Weatherly humiliated, harassed and abused her, it’s apparently fine. It was just an “isolated incident,” and Weatherly is receiving “leadership training,” and anyway, “It’s a very popular show. More than 10 million people watch every week. Michael is loved by our audience.”
And Pauley Perrette’s experience with Mark Harmon which drove her to leave NCIS? It’s been “resolved to everyone’s satisfaction,” despite Perrette tweeting as recently as June about it. And anyway, she wouldn’t be on a new CBS show if she really had a problem, right?
As for CBS’s ongoing diversity issues, yes, they are clearly trying to improve — upcoming shows Evil; Bob ♥ Abishola; and All Rise are evidence of that. But the Big Brother thing, you guys, it’s not great, what with the show editing out all the raw racism of the contestants and reports from eliminated contestants like Kemi Fakunle: “I think I’m portrayed as a bitch. A hundred percent,” she told the other contestants. “They were like, ‘Oh, why don’t you, like, wag your finger and be like, ‘Uh uh, girlfriend.’ I’m like, I don’t even talk like that, so maybe try again, Christine.’”
But don’t worry, CBS executives are “very concerned” about some of shenanigans backstage on Big Brother. “In the case of Big Brother, we learned that a producer in an attempt to get a soundbite from one of the houseguests overstepped. That producer was reprimanded, received unconscious bias training, as did all the producers on the show,” according to some exec.
As for the pay dispute with Julianna Marguiles: “We wanted her to guest on The Good Fight. There was a different expectation as to what that means. It didn’t work out.” AND THAT IS ALL THE ANSWER YOU’RE GOING TO GET. However, that doesn’t mean there’s bad blood between the network and Marguiles: apparently, she’s working on a new project for the network, not that there are any details.
Speaking of those new CBS shows: Evil is from the creators of The Good Fight and The Good Wife, and they will be bringing some familiar actors over to this new series. The creators insist the show will not be an “exorcism of the week,” and insist that it will be more “vague” than some of CBS’s other procedurals. We’ll see.
Chuck Lorre showed up to the panel for Bob ♥ Abishola wearing a hat with IMAG hat, which stands for “Immigrants Make America Great,” but he insists that it’s not a political series. And while I’m not going to watch, because Chuck Lorre, I actually think this is the right angle, this is how you change people’s minds, by representing marginalized groups like immigrants as being ~GASP~ fully human. It worked with Modern Family and homosexuals, there’s a chance a few grandpas out there might have their hearts soften a little towards immigrants thanks to this series. We can hope, right?
What to expect from All Rise: “We wanted to create a show where a judge can do a pratfall and still speak from her heart and fight for justice.”
Patricia Heaton wants to die on set in full hair and makeup. Fair enough.
Walter Goggins will be playing sweet and funny and romantic in his new series The Unicorn, which is nothing like all the bad guys he’s played in the past. (Well, they have been funny.) What remains to be seen is if audiences will buy it.
The World’s Best has not been canceled, but it hasn’t been renewed, either, but it could be, maybe, with a few tweaks. (It’s not going to happen. It’s no America’s Got Talent.)
CBS would like to find something cheap and original to air on Saturday nights ahead of 48 Hours, something other than reruns.
Over on CBS All Access:
Stephen King is writing a new ending for CBS All Access’ upcoming The Stand limited series.
ALERT ONCE UPON A TIME FANS: Why Women Kill on CBS All Access is not for you. It has zero Disney princesses.
In Non-TCA News
There will be a Marvel’s Runaways and Cloak & Dagger crossover. It will air on the Runaways season over at Hulu beginning on December 13.
There will not be a Desperate Housewives revival, guys. And they’re not bringing back Dawson’s Creek. The dream of the 90s is officially over.
Bradley Cooper, Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart, Trevor Noah, Jon Stewart, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen will all be on hand to honor Dave Chappelle when he receives the Mark Twain Prize in October.
Hey, here are some pictures of Kevin Carroll in his upcoming role on The Walking Dead.
Renewals
- Flack has been renewed at Pop, and Daniel Dae Kim and Sam Neil are joining the cast.
- The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition will be returning on ABC this winter.
In Development
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is being turned into a TV series at Quibi. True fact: this series and the movie are based on a book — and the book is a bunch of stick-figure drawings. I know this because I was an editor on the book when it was originally published back in the late 90s. I am so happy for the women who wrote this book: GET THAT MONEY, MICHELLE AND JEANNINE!
- Doctor Who‘s catalog is moving to HBO Max.
- The Man Who Fell to Earth is being turned into a series at CBS All Access.
- Ghost Stories, an anthology of four films, is being made for Netflix.
- Lincoln Lawyer is being turned into a series at CBS.
- Pretty, a single-camera comedy, is being developed for CBS.
- Last American Vampire has been ordered at Quibi.
- Love Hard has been bought by Netflix.
- Console Wars is coming to CBS All Access.
- The Untitled Thomas John Project has been ordered at CBS All Access.
- Lawrence Trilling has signed a deal with Amazon.
Casting News
- James Marsden, Amber Heard, Odessa Young, and Henry Zaga are all set to star in The Stand on CBS All Access.
- Chris Messina is going to be in the third season of The Sinner on USA.
- Adam Scott is going to host the ABC game show, Don’t.
- Big Sean is going to star in Lena Waithe’s new series Twenties on BET.
- Loretta Devine will recur in black-ish.
- Vanessa Bayer will appear on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
- Jason Clarke is going to star in the HBO pilot Showtime (which is a very confusing thing to write, btw).
- JoAnna Garcia Swisher is going to replace Monica Porter in Sweet Magnolias on Netflix.
- Jennifer Cheon Garcia is joining the cast of Supergirl.
Mark Your Calendar
- Kidding returns on Showtime on November 3.
- I Am Patrick Swayze will premiere on Paramount on August 1.
- Hyperdrive will premiere on Netflix on August 21.
- Siren returns on Freeform in Spring 2020.
- Green Frontier will debut on Netflix on August 16.
- Dublin Murders will debut on Starz sometime this fall.
- Shameless returns on Showtime on November 3.
- Ray Donovan returns on Showtime on November 17.
R.I.P.
Harley Race, Professional wrestler
WATCH THIS
FRIDAY
A Black Lady Sketch Show: Robin Thede and Issa Rae bring us this new sketch comedy series that looks pretty terrific: 10 p.m., HBO
Dear White People: Season three is here and looking as meta as ever. Season premiere. Netflix
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Season three. Netflix
Descendants 3: The third Descendants movie opens under a cloud of sadness, as co-star Cameron Boyce passed away only three weeks ago. 7 p.m., Disney
Swamp Thing: Series finale — sadly ended before it was ever given a chance. DC Universe
Derry Girls: Second season of the comedy set in Derry, Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Netflix
SATURDAY
The Favourite: The most fun you’ll have in a movie about Queen Anne, I promise. 7 p.m., HBO
Back to the Future marathon: The original Back to the Future came out in 1985. That was 39 years ago. Marty McFly only went back 30 years in time. I am so old. 5 p.m., Starz Encore
Million Dollar Mile: So this show that I know absolutely nothing about, it’s ending. Season finale. 7 p.m., CBS
SUNDAY
Preacher: APOCALYPSE TIME! Final season premiere. 8 p.m., AMC
Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj: Fourth season premiere. Netflix
Euphoria: Season finale. 9 p.m., HBO
Late Night:
- Watch What Happens Live (Sunday): Issa Rae, Robin Thede
| FRI. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (new) |
20/20 (new) |
| CBS | Love Island (new) |
Hawaii Five-0 (repeat) |
Blue Bloods (repeat) |
| CW | Masters of Illusion (new) |
Masters of Illusion (new) |
The Outpost (repeat) |
Local |
| FOX | First Responders Live (repeat) |
MasterChef (repeat) |
Local |
| NBC | American Ninja Warrior | Dateline (new) |
—
| SAT. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | 11:00 | 11:30 |
| ABC | Shark Tank (repeat) |
Press Your Luck (repeat) |
Card Sharks (repeat) |
News/Local |
| CBS | Million Dollar Mile (live) |
48 Hours (new) |
News/Local |
| FOX | PBC Fight Night (live) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Bring the Funny (repeat) |
Dateline | News/Local | Saturday Night Live (repeat) |
—
| SUN. | 6:00 | 6:30 | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | America’s Funniest Home Videos (repeat) |
CMA Fest (new) |
| CBS | 60 Minutes (new) |
Big Brother (new) |
Instinct (new) |
The Good Fight (new) |
| The CW | Local | Penn & Teller: Fool Us (new) |
Pandora (repeat) |
Local |
| FOX | Last Man Standing (repeat) |
Last Man Standing (repeat) |
The Simpsons (repeat) |
Bob’s Burgers (repeat) |
Family Guy (repeat) |
What Just Happened?! With Fred Savage (new) |
Local/News |
| NBC | Hollywood Game Night (repeat) |
America’s Got Talent (repeat) |
Bring the Funny (repeat) |