IMDb TV Rebrands as Amazon Freevee, Plans More Original Series and Movies

“Beyond Black Beauty,” “Play Doh Squished” and “Post Malone: Runaway.”Freevee also picked up a second season of “Bosch: Legacy,” as well as two more seasons of “Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.”“Amazon Freevee is a trailblazer in the AVOD space, reimagining, redefining, and leveling up the quality of content offered by a free streaming service,” Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, co-heads of content and programming, Amazon Freevee, said in a joint statement. “By developing and programming inspired, fan-favorite Original series and movies — produced and delivered by Amazon Studios in partnership with some of the industry’s best creators and studio partners — and by securing exclusive, highly sought licensed content, we have built a destination where viewers know they can discover and enjoy something new, or indulge in something they already love.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorTitus Welliver’s ex-cop Harry Bosch will return to crack more cases on Amazon Freevee.Amazon Freevee (formerly IMDb TV) announced the pickup of Season 2 of “Bosch: Legacy,” a spin-off of series “Bosch” that ran for seven seasons on Prime Video — ahead of the May 6 premiere of “Bosch: Legacy” on the ecommerce giant’s free, ad-supported streaming service.In addition, Amazon Freevee is expanding its licensed content lineup through a short-term film licensing agreement with Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution for a “limited selection” of 20th Century Studios titles, including “Deadpool,” “Deadpool 2,” “Logan,” “Hidden Figures,” Kenneth Branagh’s “Murder on the Orient Express” and “The Post.” The announcements came at Amazon’s 2022 NewFronts presentation Monday for marketers.Amazon Freevee also announced the renewal for third and fourth seasons of “Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers,” the docuseries about a Southern California high-school basketball team, from LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s Uninterrupted, as well as greenlights for four new originals: cooking competition series “America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation”; coming-of-age drama “Beyond Black Beauty”; family competition series “Play-Doh Squished”; and music documentary “Post Malone: Runaway.”Currently in development at Freevee is “Inside No. 9,” based on the BBC’s award-winning anthology series, combining humor, horror, crime and suspense — with the episodes linked in some way by the inclusion of the number nine.

Amazon Freevee, the ad-funded streaming service, has unveiled a raft of renewals, unscripted orders and developments following its rebrand from IMDb TV.

Sasha Urban editorKate Walsh has joined the cast of “Sprung,” an upcoming original comedy series from Emmy-winning writer Greg Garcia and Amazon Freevee. Camden Garcia and Andre Jamal Kinney have also been added to the cast, which includes Martha Plimpton, Garret Dillahunt, Shakira Barrera, Phillip Garcia, Clare Gilles and James Earl.“Sprung” follows a group of formerly incarcerated people who decide to use their criminal expertise for good.

The crucial final hours of a crime victim’s life will be dissected by the Dateline team in a new Peacock original series, Dateline: The Last Day.

Bill Murray made headlines when the movie he was shooting, the Aziz Ansari-directed “Being Mortal”, suspended production due to a complaint about the “Saturday Night Live” alum’s “inappropriate behaviour” on the set.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMost of the cast of “That ’70s Show” is coming back for “That ’90s Show” at Netflix, Variety has learned.Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Wilmer Valderrama are all set to make guest appearances in the spinoff series, once again playing their characters from the original series. The only main cast member not returning is Danny Masterson, who played Hyde, as he is preparing to stand trial on multiple sexual assault allegations.As previously announced, Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp are set to star in “That ’90s Show,” reprising the roles of Red and Kitty Forman.

Sasha Urban editorJohn Stamos has been cast as the voice of Iron Man in Disney Junior’s “Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends,” while the preschool network has also added Lou Diamond Phillips and Yvette Nicole Brown to the vocal cast of “Firebuds” and Justina Machado, Bobby Moynihan, Eric Bauza and Kari Wahlgren have joined “Pupstruction.”The announcements were made Friday by Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis, who revealed a slate of content for Disney Junior over the next two years, including new and original series, shorts, returning franchises and casting news. The announcement was made during the Disney Junior Fun Fest event Friday at Disney California Adventure.“Disney Junior is already home to some of the most beloved preschool programming, and today, we have unveiled the next slate of content that is sure to entertain preschool kids for years to come,” Davis said.

Judge Judy Sheindlin has a new show coming!

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJudge Judy Sheindlin is expanding her relationship with Amazon Freevee, formerly IMDb TV, with a new courtroom show.Sheindlin will serve as creator and executive producer on “Tribunal,” which will feature a panel of three judges collectively adjudicating real cases. Scott Koondel will also serve as an executive producer.The three judges are: Judge Patricia DiMango, a former New York State Supreme Court Justice and Administrative Judge of the New York State Supreme Court, Criminal Term, Kings County; Judge Tanya Acker, a Yale Law School graduate, experienced civil litigator, former Judge Pro Tem in Los Angeles County Superior Court; and Adam Levy, former Putnam County, New York District Attorney, and an instructor for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and New York Prosecutors Training Institute.

EXCLUSIVE: Judith Sheindlin is expanding her footprint at Amazon Freevee (fka IMDb TV) with a second court program to join Judy Justice. Amazon’s free, ad-supported streaming service has given a series order to Tribunal, a panel-based show starring two of the judges on Sheindlin’s CBS Media Ventures panel court program Hot Bench, Patricia DiMango and Tanya Acker, as well as Sheindlin’s son, former District Attorney Adam Levy.

Amazon’s top U.S. and international execs are banking on even bigger things in India after launching the streamer’s biggest ever slate in the country.

Naman Ramachandran Amazon Prime Video pulled out the heavy international artillery to launch a massive Indian slate on Thursday. They are bullish about the market.Kelly Day, VP of international, Amazon Prime Video, said at a round table during the event: “The future of global streaming services is really about global expansion, and moving much more ambitiously, to serving customers in our international markets all over the world.

Disney+ subscribers binging series from the streamer’s library on Monday discovered that a number of episodes were not available. Affected titles are said to include Duck Tales, Agent Carter, X-Men, Lizzie McGuire, Owl House, Rocket & Groot. Fans took to reddit and other online platforms to share their frustration and also reached out to Disney.

Troppo” will premiere on Amazon Freevee May 20, as one of the first originals to launch on the newly renamed streaming platform.Based on the novel “Crimson Lake” by Cameron Fox, “Troppo” stars Thomas Jane as Ted Conkaffey, an ex-cop accused of a crime that he didn’t commit. Hiding out in the Far North Queensland, he’s recruited by private investigator Amanda Pharrell (Nicole Chamoun) into helping her investigate a bizarre murder case and track down a missing person. In addition to Jane and Chamoun, the cast also includes David Lyons, Yerin Ha, Sun Park, Ling Cooper Tang, Kate Beahan, Cramer Cain, Peta Wilson, Angela Punch McGregor, Damien Garvey, Josh Helman and Radha Mitchell.

Dominique Fishback, who stars in Apple’s limited series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey alongside Samuel L. Jackson, has been cast in the lead of Amazon’s Donald Glover and Janine Nabers series.

SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from Wednesday night’s episode of The Wonder Years.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon has commissioned a new Canadian original comedy series titled “The Sticky,” Variety has learned.The series is inspired by the true story of “The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.” The English language half-hour series will be set in Quebec.It revolves around Ruth Clarke, a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to manifest destiny.

Amazon announced Wednesday its free streaming service IMDb TV will be renamed Amazon Freevee.The new name will take effect on April 27, the company said in a news release.The retailer said the streaming service will also expand its original programming by 70% in 2022, with spinoffs of shows such as “Bosh: Legacy” and other series. It will also add more original movies.Amazon.com Inc.