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Tyler Perry COVID-19 Vaccine Special To Air On BET (TV News Roundup)

In today’s TV news roundup, BET sets a Tyler Perry special about the COVID-19 vaccine, and Netflix releases trailers for “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” and “Ginny & Georgia.”

DATES

Peacock will premiere “Archibald’s Next Big Thing Is Here” on Feb. 18 with all six episodes dropping at once. The show, which centers on Archibald Strutter, a chicken who “yes-and’s” his way through life but has adventures that rarely go as planned, hails from DreamWorks Animation. Created by Tony Hale, the voice cast features Hale, Adam Pally, Jordan Fisher, Chelsea Kane, Casey Wilson, Kari Wahlgren and Rosamund Pike. Watch a trailer below.

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BET will air “COVID-19 Vaccine and the Black Community: A Tyler Perry Special” on Jan. 28 at 9 p.m. With a goal to address the public’s concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, Perry met with Dr. Carlos del Rio and Dr. Kimberly Dyan Manning of Atlanta’s Emory School of Medicine for the special, which is produced by Perry and Tyler Perry Studios.

NBC announced that its new drama “Debris” will premiere March 1 at 10 p.m. The series stars Jonathan Tucker and Riann Steele as two agents from vastly different walks of life who must work together to investigate why a destroyed alien spacecraft is mysteriously affecting humankind. The drama comes from showrunner J.H. Wyman and executive producers Jason Hoffs, Jeff Vlaming and Samantha Corbin-Miller. Watch a trailer below.

FIRST LOOKS

Netflix released the trailer for “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel,” which launches on Feb. 10. The show is the first season of a docuseries that deconstructs the mystery of infamous locations in contemporary crime, focusing on the disappearance of college student Elisa Lam from the downtown Los Angeles Cecil Hotel. Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Joe Berlinger, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Jon Doran, Jon Kamen and Ryan Miller executive produce; Berlinger also directs. Watch the trailer below.

Netflix also dropped a trailer for its upcoming family drama “Ginny & Georgia.” The show, which premieres Feb. 24, follows 15-year-old Ginny Miller (Antonia Gentry) and her 30-year-old mom Georgia (Brianne Howey) who finally settle down in a New England town after years of constantly moving. But it’s not long before Georgia’s past catches up to them and threatens their fresh start. Sarah Lampert created the series, which is also executive produced by showrunner Debra J. Fisher, Jeff Tahler, Jenny Daly, Holly Hines and Daniel March. Watch the trailer below.

PROGRAMMING

Fuse is expanding its “Future History” initiative by launching Future History Class of 2021, which will increase to 24 honorees. February kicks off with the Future Black History Class of 2021 and will honor rapper Polo G; Dad Gang founder Sean Williams; poet and novelist Elizabeth Acevedo; and inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Freddie Figgers. The P&G-sponsored initiative is also adding Future Middle Eastern History in August to its lineup. Four “Future History” makers are featured each month on Fuse and FM.

DEVELOPMENT

A+E Studios and ITV Studios America in association with Groundswell Prods. announced a limited series adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” with a pilot from writer and executive producer Michael Hirst. The series will be a reimagining of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, diving into New York’s African American community and musical subculture of the 1920s, under the guidance of consulting producer Farah Jasmine Griffin, the William B. Ransford Professor of English & Comparative Literature and African-American Studies at Columbia University. Blake Hazard, great-granddaughter of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and a trustee of the Fitzgerald estate, serves as consulting producer. Michael London, Barry Jossen and Lucienne Papon also serve as executive producers.

EXECUTIVE NEWS

Brian Keane is stepping into the position of executive vice president of production and operations at Nickelodeon Animation Studios. This is a new position for the company, which restructured amid an expansion of its animation studio production. Amid the restructuring, Jennie Monica was appointed vice president, series production and Kara Lord Piersimoni will join as vice president of production for Nickelodeon Movies. Keane was formerly the COO of Blue Sky Studios, while Lord Piersimoni most recently served as vice president of production at Guru Studios. Monica is currently a co-executive producer on “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

LATE NIGHT

Anthony Anderson, Sal Iacono and Death Cab for Cutie will be guests tonight on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” while “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” will feature Susan Sarandon, J.J. Watt and Thad Cockrell. Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci and Adrianne Lenker will be on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” “Late Night With Seth Meyers” will feature Ted Danson, Brooks Wheelan and Ann Patchett.

ACQUISITIONS

Beach House Pictures, a Blue Ant Studios company, expanded its operations throughout Asia Pacific with a majority acquisition of Tokyo-based Vesuvius Pictures and the appointment of Felix Feng to general manager of their Beijing office. Hyoe Yamamoto and Deborah Barillas, co-founders of Vesuvius, will maintain minority stake and retain their roles as creative director and managing director, respectively.

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