The CW Orders Two ‘Black Pack’ Specials Starring Taye Diggs, Ne-Yo, Eric Bellinger (TV News Roundup)
The CW Network announced two new variety specials: “The Black Pack: We Three Kings” and “The Black Pack: Excellence.” The former is set to debut Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. while the premiere of the latter will be announced at a later date.
Both specials star Taye Diggs, Ne-Yo and Eric Bellinger and pay homage to the talent of the Rat Pack while celebrating excellence and camaraderie through varied musical performances while inciting audiences to sing along with the classic music. “The Black Pack: We Three Kings” is a holiday celebration of music, comedy and dance and “The Black Pack: Excellence” aims to celebrate Black excellence and culture with musical and dance performances that will feature special guests to commemorate Juneteenth. This special will also pay tribute to Sammy Davis Jr. and feature a new Juneteenth anthem.
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Both specials are produced by Magic Lemonade and executive produced by Diggs, Shannon Stoeke and Rikki Hughes.
Also in today’s TV news roundup:
DATES
Epix announced that upcoming sci-fi horror series “From” will premiere on Feb. 20, 2022. The series is set in a mysterious town in middle America that traps anyone who enters it. Harold Perrineau, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Eion Bailey, Hannah Cheramy, Simon Webster, Ricky He, Chloe Van Landschoot, Shaun Majumder, Corteon Moore, Pegah Ghafoori, David Alpay, Elizabeth Saunders, Elizabeth Moy and Avery Konrad star as residents of the town who must search for a way out and survive the threats of the surrounding forest. “From” is a co-production between Epix Studios and MGM International Television Productions and is produced by Midnight Radio and AGBO. Executive producers include creator John Griffin; director Jack Bender; showrunner Jeff Pinkner; Midnight Radio’s Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec and Scott Rosenber; and AGBO’s Anthony and Joe Russo and Mike Larocca. Midnight Radio’s Adrienne Erickson co-executive produces. Watch a teaser below.
“Landscapers” debuts Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. The latter three episodes of the four-episode series will debut each following Monday at the same time. Starring Olivia Colman and David Thewlis, “Landscapers” tells the unique love story of Chris and Susan Edwards, a seemingly ordinary British couple who become the focus of an investigation when two dead bodies are discovered in the back garden of a house in Nottingham. Will Sharpe directs the series, which is created and written by Ed Sinclair. The series also stars Kate O’Flynn, Dipo Ola, Samuel Anderson, David Hayman, Felicity Montagu and Daniel Rigby. “Landscapers” is produced by Sister in association with South of the River Pictures. Jane Featherstone, Chris Fry, Sinclair, Sharpe and Colman executive produce, with Katie Carpenter as producer. Watch a teaser below.
FIRST LOOKS
ABC released a first look at Michelle Obama on set at “Black-ish,” where she will be guest starring in a final season episode in 2022. Series star and executive producer Anthony Anderson broke the news of this appearance to Variety‘s Marc Malkin last month, although the network did not confirm details at that time. In its final season, “Black-ish” will continue to tell stories that center around current events through the lens of the Johnson family, including the pandemic, voting, systemic racism and the social justice movement. The series also stars Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, Laurence Fishburne, Jenifer Lewis, Peter Mackenzie, Deon Cole, Jeff Meacham and Katlyn Nichol.
black-ish
EXECUTIVES
Nathan Muller has been promoted to vice president of development at Freeform. In the role, he will develop scripted content for the network while also identifying new ideas and concepts for series. Muller will also oversee creative production on pilots, as well as the first season of all-new scripted series to be announced. He previously served as Freeform’s executive director of development, where he developed Josh Thomas’ comedy “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay,” Phoebe Robinson’s upcoming series “Everything’s Trash,” the pilot for “Single Drunk Female” and “Cruel Summer.” Previously, Muller held positions at United Talent Agency and Warner Bros. Television.
EVENTS
NATPE is returning to Miami from Jan. 18, 2022 through Jan. 20, 2022 for the annual global content conference addressing the evolution of the industry. Following this past year’s virtual conference, this upcoming event will once again welcome in-person attendees from around the globe. The conference will adhere to high safety COVID standards, including mandatory proof of vaccination for all attendees, outdoor tents for select meetings and designated safety zones.
PROGRAMMING
Rakuten TV and Vice Studios are set to produce a docuseries exploring different technologies. Over five episodes, the currently untitled series, which will launch in 2022, will explore issues thought of as soon to affect daily life: lab-grown meat, space cleaners, cyborgs, nuclear fusion and blockchain, with the blockchain episode focusing specifically on DigitalBits and how the company has impacted brands across industries, including sports and entertainment, luxury, finance and others. Dan Bowen produces.
IMDb TV announced “Play-Doh Squished,” a family competition special that will premiere on Dec. 10. Sarah Hyland hosts and judges as three teams of two kids and two adults complete different challenges, all within a holiday-themed Play-Doh set. “Play-Doh Squished” is from Amazon Studios, Entertainment One and Hasbro. Executive producers include eOne’s Tara Long, Mark Herwick, Madison Merritt and Allison Berkley; showrunner Sutherland Sharp; and Hyland.
LATE NIGHT
Chrissy Teigen, Matthias Schweighöfer and Skepta will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” while Regina King, Lenny Clarke and The Kid Laroi will be on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Olivia Munn, Roy Wood Jr. and Jason Blum will be on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will feature John Leguizamo and Thomasin McKenzie. Andie MacDowell, Rudi Dharmalingam and Calum Scott will be on “The Late Late Show with James Corden.”
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