Pilot Season 2021: Effects of COVID Linger as Networks Shift Strategies

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Succession” Season 3 has added Adrien Brody to its cast.Brody is the latest addition to the cast of the third season of the hit HBO series, with Alexander Skarsgård having been announced as a new addition on Monday.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterKym Whitley and Danny Garcia have been cast in recurring roles in the Amazon YA pilot “Hot Pink,” Variety has learned exclusively.The pair joins previously announced stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nina Bloomgarden, David Iacono, Mimi Davila, Dana Donnelly, and Myra Molloy, as well as fellow recurring star David Arquette.The show is loosely inspired by Elana K.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Irregulars” has been canceled at Netflix, Variety has confirmed with sources.The news comes just over a month after the series debuted its first season on March 26. Variety has reached out to Netflix for comment and will update should they respond.Set in Victorian London, the series follows a gang of troubled street teens who are manipulated into solving crimes for the sinister Doctor Watson and his mysterious business partner, the elusive Sherlock Holmes.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Big Sky” has been renewed for Season 2 at ABC.In addition, series executive producer Elwood Reid will take over as showrunner for Season 2. His past credits include “The Chi,” “The Bridge,” “Hawaii Five-O,” and “Barkskins.” He takes over running the show from series creator and executive producer David E.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Mayans MC” has been renewed for Season 4 at FX.The news comes ahead of the Season 3 finale, which is set to air on May 11. Season 4 of the outlaw biker drama, which was co-created by Elgin James and “Sons of Anarchy” creator Kurt Sutter, is set to air in 2022.“Elgin James, his creative collaborators, this incredible cast and crew delivered on another epic season of ‘Mayans M.C.,’” said Nick Grad, president of original programming for FX Entertainment.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJessica Williams and Chris “Comedian CP” Powell have joined “Love Life” Season 2 at HBO Max.The pair joins William Jackson Harper, who will star in Season 2 of the anthology series.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Good Doctor” has been renewed for Season 5 at ABC.The popular medical drama Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, who continues to use his extraordinary medical gifts at St.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Succession” Season 3 at HBO has added Alexander Skarsgård to its cast.Skarsgård will play Lukas Matsson in the third season of the critically-acclaimed series, who is described as a successful, confrontational tech founder and CEO.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Kung Fu” has been renewed for Season 2 and “Stargirl” has been renewed for Season 3 at The CW.“We are beyond proud to continue to share the stories of Nicky Shen and Courtney Whitmore, two strong, powerful young women at the center of this new generation of hit shows for The CW in ‘Kung Fu’ and ‘DC’s Stargirl,’” said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW Network.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Young Rock” and “Kenan” have both been renewed for Season 2 at NBC.“It has been a true joy to watch Dwayne Johnson & Kenan Thompson on NBC every week and see families connect with their relatable, entertaining and heartwarming stories,” said Lisa Katz, president of scripted programming for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Last Kingdom” will end with its upcoming Season 5 on Netflix.The announcement comes as the show begins production on its fifth season in Budapest, Hungary.“I love this job,” series star Alexander Dreymon said. “Playing Uhtred for 5 seasons has been a wonderful journey.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Invincible” has been renewed for Season 2 and Season 3 at Amazon.The announcement was made on Thursday on Twitter by Robert Kirkman alongside Steven Yeun, who voices the show’s main character.“I’m extremely thankful to Amazon for the support and dedication they’ve put behind Invincible,” Kirkman said in a separate statement.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterGrace Gummer has been cast in the “Let the Right One In” pilot at Showtime, Variety has learned.She joins previously announced cast members Demián Bichir and Anika Noni Rose. The series centers on Mark (Bichir), a father and his 12-year-old daughter, Eleanor, whose lives were changed forever 10 years earlier when she was turned into a vampire.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Dark Side of the Ring” will debut Season 3 on Vice TV on May 6. In an interview with Variety, series narrator Chris Jericho says the show allows non-wrestling fans to learn to appreciate what wrestlers go through in their careers.“I think one of the reasons why the show is very important and very relevant is because you’re learning and maybe getting a little more respect for these guys,” Jericho says.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon’s YA pilot “Hot Pink” has added five new cast members.Nina Bloomgarden, David Iacono, Mimi Davila, Dana Donnelly, and Myra Molloy will star in the pilot, joining previously announced star Sarah Michelle Gellar.The show is loosely inspired by Elana K. Arnold’s book “What Girls Are Made Of.” In the book, Nina Faye was raised to believe that there is no such thing as unconditional love, meaning she will do anything for her boyfriend to prove her worthiness.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFox has ordered the dramedy “The Big Leap” to series for the 2021-2022 broadcast season.The one-hour show was originally ordered to pilot last year, but production was shutdown by the pandemic.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon Studios has ordered a YA pilot based on the Harlan Coben novel “Shelter,” Variety has learned exclusively.Shelter” is the first novel in Coben’s Mickey Bolitar book series. MGM has acquired the rights to all the other books in the Mickey Bolitar series as well.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCecilia Suárez and Augusto Aguilera have joined the ABC drama pilot “Promised Land,” Variety has learned.The show is described as an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJohn Ortiz has been cast in a leading role of the ABC drama pilot “Promised Land,” Variety has learned.The show is described as an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley. Ortiz joins previously announced cast members Christina Ochoa and Mariel Molino.Ortiz will star as Joe Sandoval, the patriarch of the Sandoval family, a wealthy vineyard-owning family in the Sonoma Valley.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAnika Noni Rose has been cast in the “Let the Right One In” pilot at Showtime, Variety has learned.She joins previously announced cast member Demián Bichir. The series centers on Mark (Bichir), a father and his 12-year-old daughter, Eleanor, whose lives were changed forever 10 years earlier when she was turned into a vampire.