‘Big Shot’ Renewed for Season 2 at Disney Plus

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe revival of “Rugrats” has been renewed for Season 2 at Paramount Plus.The second season will consist of 13 episodes. News of the renewal comes as eight new episodes of Season 1 are scheduled to drop on the streamer on Oct.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCedric the Entertainer kicked off the 73rd Emmy Awards on CBS Sunday night with a musical number that parodied the Biz Markie hit “Just a Friend.”Cedric started off the song, which changed the lyrics of the beloved rap song to more TV-themed content.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterParamount Plus and CBC have partnered on the drama series “Skymed.”The series is produced by Piazza Entertainment in association with CBC and CBS Studios. It is currently in production in Manitoba and Ontario and will be available to stream on Paramount Plus in 2022.The series follow the triumphs, heartbreaks and tribulations of budding nurses and pilots flying air ambulances in remote Northern Canada.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDiversity and authenticity in storytelling have always been critical, but only in recent years has Hollywood seemed to take notice.Throughout most of the history of American film and television, stories of people of color were more often than not told through the lens of a white creator. Many have sounded the alarm for years that by doing things this way, the nuance and culture of those being portrayed is lost or misrepresented.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHilary Swank is set to star in a drama from Tom McCarthy that has been ordered to pilot at ABC, Variety has learned.In the untitled series, a star journalist (Swank) moves to Alaska for a fresh start after a career-killing misstep, and finds redemption personally and professionally joining a daily metro newspaper in Anchorage.McCarthy is writing and directing the pilot in addition to serving as executive producer under his Slow Pony banner.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBilly Bob Thornton has joined the upcoming “Yellowstone” prequel series “1883” at Paramount Plus, Variety has learned.Thornton joins previously announced cast members Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Sam Elliott. The series takes place in the titular year and follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSeth MacFarlane may be critical of Fox Corp. as a whole, but the broadcast network arm of the company is confident he and his hit comedy “Family Guy” will be with the network for years to come.“‘Family Guy’ is part of the Fox DNA,” Michael Thorn, Fox Entertainment’s president of entertainment, told Variety.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCountry music star Trace Adkins has been cast in the upcoming Fox drama series “Monarch.”Adkins joins recently announced cast members Susan Sarandon and Anna Friel. In the series, “Texas Truthteller” and reigning king of country music Albie Roman (Adkins), along with his insanely talented, but tough as nails wife, Dottie Cantrell Roman (Sarandon), have created a country music dynasty.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSusan Sarandon and Anna Friel have been cast in the upcoming Fox country music drama series “Monarch,” Variety has learned.In the series, the Romans are headed by the insanely talented, but tough as nails Queen of Country Music Dottie Cantrell Roman (Sarandon). Along with her beloved husband, Albie, Dottie has created a country music dynasty.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Reservation Dogs” has been renewed for Season 2 at FX on Hulu.The critically-acclaimed comedy series is still airing its first season, with the sixth episode set to debut on Sept. 6.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Republic of Sarah” has been canceled after one season at The CW.In the series, a small town in New Hampshire discovers that there is a large vein of an incredibly valuable mineral underneath it. A mining company plans to take it all and destroy the town in the process.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Star Trek: Picard” Season 2 will see Jean-Luc squaring off against an old adversary: the Borg Queen.Variety has confirmed with sources that Annie Wersching will play the Borg Queen in the second season of the Paramount Plus series. Wersching will now be the third actress to take on the role after Alice Krige played the leader of the Borg Collective in the film “Star Trek: First Contact” and in “Star Trek: Voyager” series finale.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNkechi Okoro Carroll has renewed her overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, where she has been based since 2018.In addition, Okoro Carroll has formed a new production company called Rock My Soul Productions.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Batwoman” has found its Poison Ivy. The CW series has cast Bridget Regan as the iconic DC supervillain for the show’s third season, Variety has learned.Poison Ivy, a.k.a Pamela Isley, is as former botany student of Gotham University described as a passionate, brilliant scientist with a mind for changing the world for the better.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJesse Williams has joined the cast of the Hulu drama pilot “Olga Dies Dreaming.”Williams joins previously announced series leads Aubrey Plaza and Ramón Rodríguez in the pilot, which is based on the yet-to-be-released novel of the same name by Xóchitl Gonzalez.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs have signed an overall deal with Warner Bros.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“American Vandal” creators Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault have landed a series order at Paramount Plus for an eSports mockumentary series called “Players,” Variety has learned.“Players” follows a fictional pro “League of Legends” team as they pursue their first championship after years of close calls and heartache.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDave Bautista is making his first foray into series television with a major role in “See” Season 2 at Apple TV Plus.The series takes place in a dystopian future centuries after a deadly virus decimated mankind and has left people without the ability to see. It stars Jason Momoa, whose role on the show was a primary driver for why Bautista wanted to join.“I had been wanting to work with Momoa for years,” Bautista told Variety.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Kevin Can F**k Himself” has been renewed for Season 2 at AMC. The second season will consist of eight episodes and will debut on AMC and AMC Plus in 2022.The dark comedy series stars “Schitt’s Creek” alum Annie Murphy as  Allison McRoberts, a woman we all grew up believing we knew: the prototypical Sitcom Wife.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterShowtime’s co-presidents of entertainment, Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, addressed moving the “Halo” series to Paramount Plus during a virtual TCA session on Tuesday.“The truth is that [“Halo”] was always a bit of an outlier for us in terms of its fit in the Showtime universe,” Winograde said. “And we did an amazing job of imbuing into the series, the character drama that we’re so well known for.