| NEW SERIES ANNOUNCEMENTS
NBCUniversal Revives “A.P. Bio” on Streaming Service
NBCUniversal’s unnamed streaming service has its first original sitcom, “A.P. Bio,” which is produced by Lorne Michaels and was canceled by the network after two seasons. The series stars “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star Glen Howerton as a disgraced Harvard professor who gets a second lease on life when he takes a job as a high school biology teacher. Patton Oswalt (“The King of Queens”) plays the school’s principal, and the show finds Howerton’s character getting involved in his students’ lives.
While certainly not a hit by the traditional Nielsen ratings, fans of “A.P. Bio” campaigned online to get the show revived. An unconfirmed number of new episodes will air on the upcoming NBCU streamer at an unconfirmed time in 2020.
HBO Max to Reboot “Gossip Girl”
Old TV series don’t end. They eventually come back in reboots. And the latest in the recent stream of revivals is a new version of “Gossip Girl” from Warner Bros. TV and CBS Television Studios on streaming service HBO Max. The serialized drama, which has received a 10-episode order, will pick up eight years after the original series ended.
The logline: A new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl. The series will address just how much social media — and the landscape of New York itself — has changed in the intervening years. For more, click here
USA Orders Competition Series “Cannonball”
USA Network has picked up Cannonball,” a competition series that pits contestants against some of the highest, fastest and wettest challenges ever created, for a cash prize. The 10-episode series, based on the Talpa format, is produced by ITV Entertainment and will premiere in 2020.
The logline: Each episode of “Cannonball” features 16 larger-than-life personalities willing to jump into the deep end and compete in four rounds of physical challenges – from the speed slide Mega-Ramp to a thrilling Drop Tower to the explosive Air Cannon and more. Each round eliminates more hopefuls, until finally one champion remains.
“Cannonball” is produced by Talpa Media USA and ITV Entertainment, based on the original format by MasMedia B.V. and licensed by Talpa Global B.V. The series was created by John de Mol, who serves as executive producer along with Shye Sutherland, Keith Geller, Bernie Schaeffer and Stijn Bakkers. |
