WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020
Wednesday Night TV
TOUGH AS NAILS (8p ET, CBS) — New. The crew competes in a series of challenges at a junkyard, where a car must be taken apart to retrieve parts.
SERIES PREMIERE: UNITED WE FALL (8p ET, ABC) — This new family comedy stars Will Sasso and Christina Vidal-Mitchell (Grand Hotel) and follows the trials and tribulations of the parents of two young kids, as they try to make it day to day as a functioning family. Jane Curtin and Guillermo Diaz also star. Another new episode follows.
THE 100 (8p ET, CW) — New.
SEASON PREMIERE: MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT (8p ET, Lifetime) — In the season 11 premiere, 10 new singles prepare to marry a complete stranger. And one groom’s motives are put to the test when the bachelor party takes a wild turn.
GAME ON (9p ET, CBS) — New. NFL star Tiki Barber and actor Ken Jeong are the guests.
ULTIMATE TAG (9p ET, FOX) — New.
BULLETPROOF (9p ET, CW) — New.
MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (10p ET, ABC) — New. With the Zephyr’s time drive malfunctioning, the team hurtles toward disaster with Yo-Yo as its only hope.
NEW STREAMING SERVICE PEACOCK LAUNCHES NATIONALLY TODAY, WITH THE FOLLOWING:
• PSYCH 2: LASSIE COME HOME — In the second Psych original movie since the show ended in 2014, Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill) return to Santa Barbara when police chief Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) is ambushed and left for dead.
• BRAVE NEW WORLD — This new adaptation of the book stars Jessica Brown Findlay, Harry Lloyd, Alden Ehrenreich and Demi Moore.
• THE CAPTURE — This BBC drama series, which originally aired in 2019, follows a former Special Forces soldier accused of murdering the barrister who got him acquitted of war crimes.
• IN DEEP WITH RYAN LOCHTE — This docu-series follows the attempts of swimmer Lochte, involved in a scandal during the 2016 Rio Olympics, to change his public image and gain a spot on the 2020 U.S. Olympic team.
• INTELLIGENCE — In this Sky One comedy series that aired in the U.K. in February, David Schwimmer plays an NSA agent who begins working with a hapless analyst (played by series creator Nick Mohammed) at the government communications headquarters’ cyber-crimes unit.
• LOST SPEEDWAYS — This docu-series about the great racetracks of the past is co-hosted by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matthew Dillner. Guest stars include racing legend Richard Petty.
• CLEOPATRA IN SPACE — This animated children’s series is based on the graphic novels and follows a 15-year-old Cleopatra as she is pulled 30,000 years into the future.
• CURIOUS GEORGE — This animated children’s series about the curious little monkey and the Man in the Yellow Hat has been running on PBS Kids.
• WHERE’S WALDO? — Based on the books, this animated series aired its first season on Universal Kids before moving to Peacock for Season 2.
Showbiz News
NAYA RIVERA AUTOPSY COMPLETED
Naya Rivera’s autopsy is now complete. According to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office, the cause of death is listed as drowning and the manner of death is an accident. They also said, “There is no indication from the investigation or examination that drugs or alcohol played a role in [Rivera’s] death, but specimens will be submitted for toxicology testing.”
… The Glee star’s body was recovered from Lake Piru Monday, near the surface of the water. Authorities said that, based on conversations with Rivera’s 4-year-old son, the two of them went out for a swim. While she was able to boost him back on the boat, she disappeared below the surface. The current was, apparently, very strong the day Rivera went missing and that may have contributed to her drowning. Also, the boat Rivera and her son had rented that day was not anchored when they went for a swim.
TOM BERGERON IS OUT AS DANCING WITH THE STARS HOST AFTER 15 YEARS
After spending a third of his adult life as the host of Dancing With the Stars, Tom Bergeron, the 65-year-old host of the one-time ABC ratings juggernaut, has been dropped from the show. ABC and BBC Studios, the show’s production company, said in a joint statement that Dancing With the Stars would be pursuing “a new creative direction” and that Bergeron would not be part of it. Erin Andrews, the sports announcer and former contestant on the show, who had co-hosted with Bergeron since 2014, is also out.
We’re hearing that Tyra Banks is the new host of Dancing With The Stars….Tom Bergeron today had a clever response when he heard Tyra Banks would be taking his place, saying: … “I guess I won’t be getting back my monogrammed towels.”
CHRISSY TEIGEN SAYS SHE DELETED 60,000 TWEETS
Chrissy Teigen is voicing concern for her family as internet trolls continue to accuse her of being involved in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The chef and social media personality stated on Twitter that she recently deleted over 60,000 tweets because she cannot stand the individuals who are using her tweets as alleged evidence of her connection to Epstein’s close associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Internet users began to speculate about her alleged ties to Epstein and Maxwell when unsubstantiated claims suggested Teigen’s name was listed on a purported flight log for Epstein’s private plane. Teigen has never formally been accused of having any sort of involvement in the Epstein scandal.
SURVIVOR PULLED FROM CBS FALL SCHEDULE
CBS is no longer planning to air Survivor Season 41 this fall. Production on the season, which will take place in Fiji, was delayed back in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to Variety, CBS and officials in Fiji are still evaluating the best time to start production due to the heightened health and safety concerns involved.
… The Amazing Race will now take Survivor’s time slot on Wednesday nights, followed by SEAL Team and SWAT, which was originally going to be held for midseason.
… Survivor is the first show to be pulled from the fall schedule since all the broadcast networks unveiled their lineups over the past few months.
LORI LOUGHLIN ASKS FOR A REDUCTION OF BOND, CLAIMS SHE’S NO FLIGHT RISK
Former Full House star Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli are asking the judge presiding over their case to reduce each of their $1 million bonds. They insist that this is on the grounds that they present no reason to be viewed as a flight risk. The couple has already pleaded guilty for their respective roles in the college admissions scandal after allegedly using bribery and cheating to get their two daughters, Olivia and Isabella, into the University of Southern California. However, they are not due for their final sentencing until next month. In the meantime, they are pleading with the judge to consider lowering their bonds to $100,000 each. The latest statement given by the couple’s legal team offers assurance that both Loughlin and Giannulli will show up to face their final sentencing in court in Boston.
MULTIPLE NBC AFFILIATES WON’T AIR THURSDAY’S 30 ROCK SPECIAL
Not everyone will see the 30 Rock reunion that will air Thursday on NBC. Multiple station groups are preempting the hour-long special, which will double as an advertisement for NBCUniversal’s 2020-21 programming and its new streaming service, Peacock. … A source says many NBC affiliates believe the special is too focused on the new streaming service, which rolls out nationwide today (Wednesday). … In tomorrow’s (Thursday) special the cast of 30 Rock will tout NBCUniversal’s 2020-21 programming in an hour-long, commercial-free event. The show will then be rebroadcast on Friday across USA Network, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY, and CNBC as well as available to stream on Peacock.
A-ROD AND J-LO WANT TO BUY THE METS!
In February, billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen walked away from a $2.6 billion deal for 80 percent of the New York Mets and rumors started to emerge that Alex Rodriguez was interested in sliding in and purchasing the team. Fast-forward to April and not only did those rumors turn out to be true, but Jennifer Lopez also entered the mix. As if A-Rod and J-Lo didn’t have enough money and star power between them, other big-time athletes have reportedly teamed up with them in an effort to buy the team.
… According to ESPN, Brian Urlacher, DeMarco Murray, Bradley Beal, Travis Kelce and others have joined the group and they’ve already submitted a bid of $1.7 billion. Rodriguez and Lopez have reportedly put up $300 million of their own money. The group is in standby mode awaiting word from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred regarding the next step in the process.
RAINN WILSON LISTS LOS ANGELES-AREA MINI-FARM
Though best known to TV watchers as dead serious and seriously strange paper salesman, bed-and-breakfast owner and beet farmer Dwight Schrute on the NBC sitcom The Office, there are no rooms to let or beets to be harvested on Rainn Wilson’s mini-farm in suburban Los Angeles that’s come up for sale at close to $1.7 million. Wilson purchased the property with his longtime wife, fiction writer Holiday Reinhorn, in late 2005 for a smidgen under $1.2 million.
… Billed in marketing materials as “the inspiration for TV’s Dwight’s Beet Farm,” the two-thirds-of-an-acre spread is privately nestled into the rolling, oak-dotted hills in an affluent, semi-rural area of Agoura Hills, about 35 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.
TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL CANCELED FOR 2020
As film festivals grapple with what to do in a world overrun with the coronavirus, more and more organizers seem to be giving in to the inevitable. South by Southwest and Cannes were canceled; Toronto International Film Festival is still on but adding a digital element; and the Venice Film Festival still plans to go ahead. But one fest that won’t be around for 2020 is the intimate Telluride Film Festival. In May, Telluride said they still planned to forge ahead, and even planned to add an extra day for safety. Now, that’s changed, and Telluride is canceled for the year.
KELLY MARIE TRAN BOARDS MONSTERLAND AT HULU
Kelly Marie Tran has lined up her next role. The actor, best known for playing the feisty Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, has signed on to appear on Hulu’s upcoming anthology series Monsterland. The eight-episode Monsterland will feature encounters with mermaids, fallen angels, and other strange beasts which drive broken people to desperate acts. It is based on the collection of stories from Nathan Ballingrud. Tran joins previously announced cast members Kaitlyn Dever, Taylor Schilling and Mike Colter.
TOM HANKS’ GREYHOUND TORPEDOES APPLE TV+ OPENING-WEEKEND RECORDS _ Apple’s WWII drama Greyhound, starring and written by Tom Hanks, has become the largest opening-weekend release ever for Apple TV+.… Apple’s not revealing much about viewership, but it does say that 30 percent of Greyhound’s viewers were new to the service. The film debuted last Friday.
BIRD BOX SEQUEL HAPPENING AT NETFLIX
Bird Box was Netflix’s big winter event movie just before Christmas back in 2018. Sandra Bullock starred in the adaptation of the sci-fi thriller novel of the same name, which takes place in the aftermath of the decimation of the world’s population by an mysterious entity that compels people to commit suicide, usually in a gruesome fashion, after they’ve laid their eyes upon it. Through flashbacks we see the beginning of the widespread death as Sandra Bullock tries to find sanctuary with her two kids in tow. Now we’ll see how her story continues because the book’s author (Josh Malerman) has confirmed that Netflix is currently developing a sequel based on his follow-up book Malorie, named after Sandra Bullock’s character.
… Here’s the synopsis of the book (SPOILERS): “Twelve years after Malorie and her children rowed up the river to safety, a blindfold is still the only thing that stands between sanity and madness. One glimpse of the creatures that stalk the world will drive a person to unspeakable violence. There remains no explanation. No solution. All Malorie can do is survive — and impart her fierce will to do so on her children. … But then comes what feels like impossible news. And with it, the first time Malorie has allowed herself to hope. Someone very dear to her, someone she believed dead, may be alive. … [And] there are the people who claim to have caught and experimented on the creatures. Murmerings of monstrous inventions and dangerous new ideas. And rumors that the creatures themselves have changed into something even more frightening.”
ZOO NAMES MUSKOX TREBEK AFTER JEOPARDY HOST
Jeopardy game show host Alex Trebek’s favorite animal is a muskox. Now, he has one named after him. Trebek is a four-week-old muskox calf at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. The 79-year-old Jeopardy host says he likes musk-oxen because they are family oriented. The males protect the females and their calves. Trebek also says he likes the way their their furry coats wave in the breeze when they are running. • LINK
… You can find musk-oxen in Northern Canada — the country where Alex Trebek was born. At just over a month old, Trebek the musk-ox is already bigger than a Labrador Retriever.
STAR WARS ANIMATED SERIES THE BAD BATCH COMING TO DISNEY+
A new animated Star Wars series is imperial marching its way towards the small screen. Disney+ will deliver Star Wars: The Bad Batch some time next year. It’s a spinoff of the popular Clone Wars series. This new show follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War.
PEACOCK LAUNCHES TODAY
Another month, another major media conglomerate launches a new video streaming service. The latest comes from NBCUniversal with the very colorful name Peacock, and it launches Wednesday.
• Peacock is a streaming platform from NBCUniversal and parent company Comcast that is home to lots of film and TV content from the Universal Studios and NBC libraries. Notable movies include the Bourne and Fast & Furious franchises, E.T., and Back to the Future. Among its TV holdings are the various Law & Order and Chicago series, Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, and cable sensation Yellowstone. Many of these will ultimately leave competing streamers and move to Peacock exclusively.
• Subscribers will be able to watch new episodes of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Myers earlier than their regular airings on NBC.
• At launch, Peacock originals are set to include:
> Psych 2: Lassie Come Home – The comedic detective series gets a second reunion movie featuring original cast members James Roday, Dulé Hill, Maggie Lawson, and Timothy Omundson.
> Intelligence – David Schwimmer stars as a doofus NSA agent in this British workplace comedy set in the world of international espionage.
> In Deep with Ryan Lochte – The Olympic swimmer looks back at his personal shame in this documentary produced by NBC Sports about the 2016 scandal that derailed his career.
> Lost Speedways with Dale Earnhardt Jr. – The famed NASCAR driver hosts a reality series that explores the sport’s history.
• Peacock Free is, as the name says, free to everyone. However, content is limited to about 7,500 hours of movies and TV, and only select episodes of the platform’s Peacock originals, all with commercials. Peacock Premium, meanwhile, has the whole catalog with over 15,000 hours of content. The Premium tier comes in two flavors: one with ads for a modest $4.99/month and one ad-free for $9.99/month.
LORI LOUGHLIN, HUSBAND SELL MANSION FOR $10M BELOW ASKING PRICE
Actress Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli have sold their California mansion for an estimated $10 million below what they originally listed it for in January. The former Full House star and her fashion designer husband are expected to be sentenced next month after admitting to conspiracy in the sweeping college admissions scandal.… In January, the couple put their Bel Air home up for sale at an asking price of $28.65 million and it has finally sold to Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen. The couple paid $14 million for it in 2015 before investing in total overhaul renovations of the 12,000-square-foot villa.
HANNA SEASON 3 HAS BEEN ORDERED BY AMAZON STUDIOS
Amazon Studios announced that it has ordered Hanna season 3, renewing the action thriller series less than two weeks after its second season debuted on Prime Video. The series is based on the 2011 Saoirse Ronan film.
JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION STAR PROMISES THERE WILL BE SCREAMING
Remember in The Lost World: Jurassic Park when Dr. Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) mocks his fellow humans for admiring the dinosaurs when he jokingly warns them that eventually there’s running and screaming? Well, Sam Neil is promising the same thing in the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion. The actor and star of the original film recently assured fans that his role, as well as Goldblum and Laura Dern’s, would in fact be significant and not just a cameo and his latest tease is that they can expect the same amount of scares as before.
… Production on Jurassic World: Dominion was shut down very early due to COVID-19. It’s since resumed but last week was said to have been halted again. Universal has denied that production was shut down though and that three crew members had tested positive for the virus. In a statement released by the studio, they said those rumors are completely false and that they were back up and running.
THE POOP THAT FLUSHED JOHNNY DEPP AND AMBER HEARD’S MARRIAGE AWAY
Johnny Depp‘s “disgusted” maid described in court Tuesday how she found poop in the bed the actor shared with then-wife Amber Heard — and had the photos to prove it. Depp has accused Heard or one of her friends of pooping in the bed as a “prank” after the actress’ 30th birthday party April 21, 2016, following a fight between the pair.
… Housekeeper Hilda Vargas said in a written statement submitted to the British court that she arrived at the celebrity couple’s penthouse at around 3PM the day after the party to tidy up — and heard another cleaning lady call to her in horror from the bedroom. Vargas said, “She was pointing to the bed and told me that she couldn’t believe what she had found. I pulled back the top sheet on the bed and saw a large pile of feces. … I knew that the feces could not have come from either of Mr. Depp’s or Ms. Heard’s two small dogs, [Pistol and Boo].”
… The maid testified amid Depp’s libel case against Britain’s The Sun, which called the actor a “wife beater” in a 2018 article. Heard has said Depp repeatedly assaulted her during their 15-month marriage, while the actor has denied the claims.
… Vargas said the incident showed “a lack of respect” and that she took the photos because she was “angry.” Vargas added that on May 24, 2016 Heard approached her at the home and told her the poop photos “had destroyed her marriage.”