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TV News Roundup: ‘The West Wing’ Cast Will Reunite for a Voting Special on HBO Max

In today’s TV news roundup, the cast and creator of “The West Wing” will reunite for a voting special, and Syfy greenlit “The Pole,” an animated adult comedy show featuring Bobby Moynihan and Jillian Bell, with Nicole Byer and Colin Jost.

DATES

Somebody Feed Phil,” a show where creator and host Phil Rosenthal travels the world and explores different cuisines, will have its Season 4 premiere Oct. 30 on Netflix. The upcoming season will see Rosenthal travel to Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Singapore, The Mississippi Delta and Hawaii on his food-tasting mission, which also combines comedy into the mix. Rosenthal also serves as an executive producer for “Somebody Feed Phil” alongside Rich Rosenthal, John Bedolis, Christopher Collins and Lydia Tenaglia.

HBO Max revealed a that its upcoming project starring fashion designer Jenna Lyons, “Stylish with Jenna Lyons,” will premiere on Nov. 26. She previously served as the creative director and president of J. Crew, but the new series will follow her endeavor to create a new business. Incorporating both documentary and competition aspects, the show will feature Lyons’ design projects as well as the tests given to a group of associates working for a position on the designer’s team. Lyons, Simon Lloyd, Matt Hanna, David Tibballs, Paul Storck, Hillary Olson, Jae Goodman and Michael Bloom serve as executive producers on the series. Watch a trailer below.

CASTING

HBO Max announced that Billy Porter is set to narrate four-part docuseries “Equal,” premiering Oct. 22. The series, which explores the events leading up to the Stonewall Uprising, will be released during LGBT History Month. Other stars included in the show include Samira Wiley, Cheyenne Jackson, Anthony Rapp, Shannon Purser, Heather Matarazzo, Jamie Clayton, Isis King and Gale Harold. Showrunner Stephen Kijak also directs each episode except for Episode 2, which is about the experiences trans people faced and is directed by trans director Kimberly Reed. Watch a new trailer below.

FIRST LOOKS

CBS All Access unveiled a trailer for “That Animal Rescue Show,” an original docuseries coming to the digital platform on Oct. 29. Set in the area around Austin, Texas, the 10-episode show centers in on the rescue community and the ways that humans bond with the animals they save. The trailer shows various rescuers who grow close to the mix of animals they’ve saved and helped recover from the states they were found in. The docuseries is executive produced by filmmaker Richard Linklater and Bill Guttentag. Watch the trailer below.

GREENLIGHTS

HBO Max ordered “Not So Pretty,” Jane Doe Films‘ limited docuseries about the cosmetics industry. Filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering will investigate the hidden dangers in commodities, from makeup to skincare, throughout the series’ four episodes. They will also share people’s personal stories and offer alternatives to popular products that are both safe and cheap. The docuseries is produced by Entertainment One, with executive production by Dick, Ziering and Tara Long.

Syfy announced that animated comedy “The Pole,” about the aftermath of a scandal surrounding Santa Clause, has been picked up for six episodes. The show will star Bobby Moynihan and Jillian Bell, with Nicole Byer, Colin Jost, SungWon Cho, Tim Simons and Sasheer Zamata also playing roles. It will debut as part of Syfy’s TZGZ late-night animated programming block. Executive producers are Matthew Bass and Theodore Bressman, who also created the show and serve as showrunners, with Mark Gordon, Frank Saperstein and Jay Surridge.

EXECUTIVE NEWS

CNN hired Calvin Sims as executive vice president of standards and practices. He will succeed Rick Davis, who plans on retiring in January of next year. Sims worked as the president and CEO of International House, a nonprofit organization aiming to promote understanding between cultures, prior to the transition to CNN. He has also held various other jobs, including a 20-year stint at the New York Times. Joining shortly after college, Sims worked his way up to become a director, producer, domestic and foreign correspondent for the paper. He will report to Jeff Zucker, the chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports.

IDW Entertainment and IDW Publishing announced the hirings of Jeff Brustrom, Daniel Kendrick and Erika Turner to lead the creation of a kids, family and young adult division. Brustrom, who previously worked at Disney Channel for 17 years, was hired as the vice president of kids, family and animation at IDWE. Kendrick has become the director of animation and is tasked with overseeing animated series’ development, and IDWP brought on Turner as a senior editor of original content. She will focus on development and acquisition of original content, focusing mostly on children, middle grade and young adult programming.

SPECIALS

HBO Max announced that “A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote” will premiere on Oct. 15, featuring cast and creators of “The West Wing.” Stars from the show will reprise old roles to put on a stage presentation of the “Hartsfield’s Landing” episode. When We All Vote co-chair Michelle Obama, as well as former President Bill Clinton and Lin-Manuel Miranda will also make appearances during breaks in the performance. In honor of the special program, WarnerMedia will also make a donation to the nonprofit organization.

The Paley Center for Media announced that “Debating the Debates: A Paley Town Hall” will stream Sept. 23 on the Paley Center’s YouTube channel. As the fourth program in the “The James P. Jimirro Media Impact Series,” the town hall will discuss various viewpoints on topics critical to the upcoming presidential election, offering thoughts from each side of the political spectrum. Those involved in this year’s event include Democratic strategist James Carville, the New York Post’s Michael Goodwin, Fox News and CNBC’s Frank Luntz and former chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, who is also a political analyst for MSNBC. It will be moderated by Marie Hardin.

EVENTS

Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff announced that their latest livestream, “The Mads: A Night of Shorts,” will take place Oct. 20. The tickets are on sale through Eventbrite for $10, with a private YouTube link to be sent out to ticket holders shortly before the event begins. During the livestream, the duo will riff on short films including “More Dates For Kay,” “How Friendly Are You?” and “Halloween Safety Vol. 2.” Those with tickets will also be able to re-watch or download the show after it streams online, but the show itself will not be uploaded for those without tickets to watch at a later date.

STREAMING

Shudder, the premium horror, thriller and supernatural streaming service for AMC Networks, has officially passed the mark for one million members. Last September, the service released “Creepshow,” its first original series. This year it also released “Cursed Films.” Shudder also makes available other horror series and films, and its growth is credited to recent expansion into Australia and New Zealand. It is available through its apps, website, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Xbox and Amazon Prime Video.

Streaming service DistroTV announced that its network lineup has expanded to include Law&Crime, which covers trials and creates original programs. Some of its legal and true crime content includes “Brian Ross Investigates,” “Vanished”, “Buried with Love” and “Law & Crime Daily,” the latter of which is a new daily legal wrap show. Recent coverage under the network’s umbrella includes the sentencing hearing of “Golden State Killer” Joseph James DeAngelo. DistroTV is a direct-to-consumer video service from technology company DistroScale.

LATE NIGHT

Tonight, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy and Tenacious D will appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” while Keira Knightley, Chelsea Clinton and Tame Impala will be on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Desus Nice & The Kid Mero and Jake Isaac will be guests on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Keith Urban and Rachel Dratch will be on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and Dahlia Lithwick and Patrisse Cullors will appear on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.”

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