TV Bits: ‘Big Bang Theory’ Renewed, ‘Scream’ Rebooted, ‘Midnight, Texas’ Trailer
In this edition of TV Bits:
The Big Bang Theory, currently on season 10,has been renewedfor seasons 11 and 12. That’s 48 more episodes of a show that the internet seems to hate, but remains one of the biggest shows on television. While I’m not fan of the show (and anything I say here won’t be anything that hasn’t been said before), the interesting news here is that stars Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar agreed to take a pay cut so their underpaid co-stars, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch, can make more money. While there’s surely all of kinds of cold-hearted corporate negotiation going on here, I’m choosing to let this be the first thing ever associated with this show to warm my heart.
In its first season, MTV’sScreambeat the odds and became a good show full of good characters and good (if intentionally soapy) storytelling. But then showrunners Jill Blotevogal and Jaime Paglia departed the series. Michael Gans and Richard Register took over for the second season it was…still good? Even last year’s one-off Halloween special starring the same cast was rock-solid! But something is amiss behind-the-scenes, because Gans and Register departed the show and now it’s being reported that season 3will reboot the series with a brand new cast. While anthology shows should have modern audiences used to this, it’s a shame that the original characters, who I’ve steadily grown to love, may not come back.
The second season ofAmerican Crime Storyhasn’t even aired yet and season three has already begun casting. Oscar-winter Penelope Cruzis set to starinVersace: American Crime Story, the third installment of Ryan Murphy’s true crime anthology series. She’ll play Donatella Versace, the sister of Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramirez), who took over her brother’s legendary fashion company after his murder. The second season, which will focus on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, will air on FX this year.
Detroitershasn’t finished airing its first season, but Comedy Centralhas already renewedSam Richardson and Tim Robinson’s series for a season 2. In his official statement, network president Kent Alterman noted the show’s feel-good nature and added a quick, political jab:
Annapurna is teaming up with Amazon forAmberville, an “adult” animated series from creator Chris McCoy andSausage Partydirector Conrad Vernon. Based on Tim Davys’Mollisan Townbook series,Deadlinedescribes the show as:
…a darkly comedic animated crime show set in a city populated by living, breathing stuffed animals. The story concerns a reformed Teddy Bear who is pulled back into the criminal underworld when his former boss enlists him for an impossible new job.
If they can strike the right tone, this sounds like it could be very promising.
Hulu’s upcoming 10-episode adaptation of Lawrence Wright’s Pulitzer Prize-winning bookThe Looming Towerhas addedPeter Sarsgaard to the cast. Most recently seen inJackie, Sarsgaard is almost always a welcome presence…except inGreen Lantern, but no one is a welcome presence in that movie. The series “traces the rising threat of Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda and takes a controversial look at how the rivalry between the CIA and FBI inadvertently might have set the stage for the tragedy of 9/11 and the war in Iraq.” Sarsgaard will play Martin Schmidt, a CIA analyst whose refusal to share information with the FBI leads to catastrophe. Jeff Daniels and Tahar Rahim will also star in the series.
True Bloodmay be over, but author Charlaine Harris’sothersupernatural book series is heading to NBC. The firstMidnight, Texastrailer has arrived and while it lacks HBO’s layer of brutal violence, harsh language, and gratuitous nudity, it looks like it’s trying to snag the same audience. The show is set in a town that is a refuge for monsters and vampires and psychics and the like, which certainly sounds like a recipe for some fine supernatural drama.
