TV News Roundup: Netflix Sets Premiere Date for ‘The Haunting of Hill House’
By Rachel Yang
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – In today’s roundup, Netflix will release the adaptation of a Shirley Jackson horror novel, while the first group of presenters for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards are announced.
DATES
will release “The Haunting of Hill House” on Friday, Oct. 12. The 10-episode horror series is a modern take of Shirley Jackon’s novel that explores a group of siblings who grew up in what would become the most famous haunted house in the country. Now as adults, they are forced back together to confront the ghosts of their past, both psychological and literal. Mike Flanagan (“Hush,” “Oculus,” “Gerald’s Game”) serves as creator, director and executive producer, and the series stars Michiel Huisman , Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth Reaser and Kate Siegel. It is produced for Netflix by Amblin TV and Paramount Television.
Investigation Discovery will premiere “Twisted Sisters” on Labor Day, Sept. 3 at 10 ET/PT. Subsequent episodes will air every Monday at 10 ET/PT. The six-part series, executive produced by Khloé Kardashian, investigates crimes committed by sister duos and delves into what triggered the sisters’ path towards a life of crime, with insight from family members, friends, investigators and law enforcement.
Sony Crackle will air the third season of its original drama, “StartUP” on Thursday, Nov. 1 with a sneak peek on Amazon devices through the Sony Crackle app starting Monday, Oct. 22. The 10-episode season follows friends fighting for power and threatened by what might be the most dangerous criminal organization of all: the U.S. Government. Mira Sorvino joins the cast in a guest starring role, portraying NSA Agent, Rebecca Stroud. Returning to the series are Adam Brody, Ron Perlman, Edi Gathegi, Otmara Marrero and Addison Timlin.
Ozy Media will release the new season of its popular podcast, “The Thread with OZY: A History of Nonviolence” on Sept. 10 on Apple Podcasts and other platforms. This season, “The Thread” marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., with host Sean Braswell exploring the origins of nonviolent resistance and explore a timeline going back from the Civil Rights Movement to the Revolutionary War.
CASTINGS
has added five new cast members to the ensemble of its upcoming drama “David Makes Man,” the television debut from Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (“Moonlight”). Alana Arenas will join the cast as a series regular, and Gillian Williams, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Elvis Nolasco and Randy Gonzalez will appear as recurring guest stars. Michael Francis Williams, Kiel Adrian Scott, Daina Reid and Cheryl Dunye have also been been tapped to direct episodes of the first season of the series, which is produced by Warner Horizon Scripted Television. “David Makes Man” centers on a 14-year-old prodigy from the projects who is haunted by the death of his best friend and he must choose between the streets that raised him or the higher education that may offer him a better life. The series is set for a 2019 premiere on OWN.
AWARD SHOWS
The Television Academy has announced the first group of presenters for the 2018 on Saturday, Sept. 8, and Sunday, Sept. 9. Saturday presenters are Giancarlo Esposito (“Better Call Saul”), Neil Patrick Harris (“A Series of Unfortunate Events”), Jane Lynch (“Hollywood Game Night”), Molly Shannon (“Will & Grace”), Samira Wiley (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Jimmy O. Yang (“Silicon Valley”), and the cast of “Fuller House” (Andrea Barber, Candace Cameron Bure, Lori Loughlin, Bob Saget and John Stamos). Sunday presenters are Judd Apatow (“The Zen Diaries Of Garry Shandling”), Carol Burnett (“The Carol Burnett Show 50th Anniversary Special”), RuPaul Charles (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), Derek Hough (“World of Dance”), Nick Kroll (“Big Mouth”), and the cast of “Queer Eye” (Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness). The awards will be held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT
on Saturday and at 7
p.m. ET/PT
on Sunday
. FXX will broadcast the awards on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Fuse Media has partnered with UnidosUS (formerly the National Council of La Raza) to relaunch the ALMA Awards to recognize Latinos in media and entertainment. The ALMA Awards had been on a three-year hiatus. Fuse and UnidosUS have tapped Done + Dusted, the production banner known for live events, to produce the ceremony to air later this year. “Now more than ever, Latinos must reclaim the narrative of our place in U.S. society, and as always, ALMAs is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate everything our community contributes to American culture,” said UnidosUS president-CEO Janet Murguia.
DEVELOPMENT
HBO will bring the British comedy podcast “My Dad Wrote a Porno” to the network for a comedy special in 2019. The podcast features Jamie Morton reading from erotic novels written by his real-life father under the pen name “Rocky Flintstone,” with commentary from Morton and his friends James Cooper and Alice Levine. Since its launch in 2015, the podcast has been downloaded more than 100 million times. The comedy special will be executive produced by Morton, Cooper, Levine and Flintstone, and directed by Hamish Hamilton.
and Women’s Media Center have partnered to expand diversity and representation of women in media. The two organizations will partner on initiatives to create change and engage the public. The first partnership is a research study that will examine how depictions of women on screen impact young women and girls, with findings to be published later this year. The alliance with Women’s Media Center is part of BBC America’s recently launched “Galaxy of Women” initiative, which spotlights women across the network. “Representation matters: if you can’t see her, you can’t be her. We are so proud to be engaged in an alliance that sets out to expand what can be seen,” said BBC America President and GM, Sarah Barnett.
