TV News Roundup: James Franco Missing From ‘The Deuce’ Season 2 Premiere Announcement
By Christi Carras
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – In today’s roundup, HBO announced the premiere date for Season 2 of “The Deuce,” and CBS News hired Weija Jiang as a White House correspondent.
CASTING
Vera Farmiga, Michael K. Williams and John Leguizamo have been cast in Ava DuVernay‘s “Central Park Five.” The Netflix limited series tells the true story of five teenagers of color who were falsely convicted of rape in the late 1980s. Farmiga will play Elizabeth Lederer, the Manhattan Assistant District Attorney and lead prosecutor on the case; Williams will play Bobby McCray, devoted father of accused teen Antron McCray; and Leguizamo will play Raymond Santana Sr., the father of accused teen Raymond Santana Jr. “Central Park Five” will premiere in 2019.
Six actors have joined Facebook Watch‘s Catherine Zeta-Jones-starrer “Queen America” as series regulars. Belle Shouse, Teagle F. Bougere, Rana Roy, Isabella Amara, Molly Price and Megan West will star in the series, which follows renowned Oklahoma pageant coach Vicki Ellis (Zeta-Jones), who is on a mission to transform the beautiful but unrefined Samantha into a beauty queen.
Freeform has announced casting updates for the Tyra Banks-starrer “Life Size 2” and “No Sleep ‘Til Christmas,” which will air as part of the network’s 2019 holiday programming. Francia Raisa will play Marathon Toys CEO Grace Manning in “Life Size 2,” joined by Gavin Stenhouse, Shanica Knowles, Hank Chen and Alison Fernandez. Dave Annable and Odette Annable will star as an event planner and bartender who fall in love in “No Sleep ‘Til Christmas,” joined by Charles Michael Davis, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Alphonso McAuley.
DATES
The second season of ‘s “” will premiere on Sept. 9. The network shared the announcement via social media on Monday, featuring a photo of Maggie Gyllenhaal reprising her role as Candy. Notably missing from the Season 2 key art is executive producer, director and lead actor James Franco, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women since the show wrapped its freshman season.
Disney Channel will debut its summer docu-series “Bug Juice: My Adventures at Camp” on July 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The series visits Camp Waziyatah in Waterford, Maine, following the friendships and adventures the young campers develop over 16 episodes.
Season 3 of “David Tutera’s CELEBrations” will return to We TV on Aug. 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with new episodes featuring special guests Mario Lopez, Vivica Fox, Ice-T & Coco, and Niecy Nash. The new clients’ demands will continue to test Tutera as he strives to plan Hollywood’s most spectacular parties in the third season.
CBS has announced premiere dates for its fall 2018-19 programming. “The Big Bang Theory,” “Young Sheldon,” “Magnum P.I.,” and “Bull” will air on Sept. 24. “NCIS,” “FBI,” and “NCIS: New Orleans” will air on Sept. 25. “Survivor” and “Big Brother” will air on Sept. 26. “Mom,” “Murphy Brown (NTP),” and “S.W.A.T.” will premiere on Sept. 27, while “The Big Bang Theory” and “Young Sheldon” will shift to their regular time slots. “MacGyver,” “Hawaii Five-0,” and “Blue Bloods” will air on Sept. 28. “Crimetime Saturday” and “48 Hours” will air on Sept. 29. “60 Minutes,” “God Friended Me,” and “NCIS: Los Angeles” will air on Sept. 30. “The Neighborhood,” “Happy Together,” “Magnum P.I.,” and “Bull” will air on Oct. 1. “SEAL Team” and “Criminal Minds” will premiere on Oct. 3, with “Survivor” shifting to its regular time slot. “Crimetime Saturday” and “48 Hours” will return on Oct. 6. And “Madam Secretary” will premiere on Oct. 7, with “60 Minutes,” “God Friended Me,” and “NCIS: Los Angeles,” shifting to their regular time slots.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
CBS News has elevated Weija Jiang to White House correspondent. Jiang, who has contributed multiple reports on the Donald Trump administration to the network, will now report daily from the White House for all CBS broadcasts and platforms, including “CBS This Morning,” “CBS Evening News with Jeff Glor,” and CBSN, the 24/7 streaming news service.
ABC News has hired Stephanie Cutter as a contributor. Previously, Cutter was the deputy campaign manager for Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential run. As a contributor, she will offer political analysis and insight across ABC News programs and live events.
FIRST LOOKS
HBO released the Season 3 trailer for Issa Rae‘s “Insecure.” In the trailer, Rae reprises her role as Issa Dee, who is navigating the throes of young adulthood, trying to maintain a stable job and living situation with the help of her sometimes painfully honest girlfriends. The third season of “Insecure” premieres July 23. Watch the trailer below.
