Freeform Renews ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Okay’ and ‘Motherland: Fort Salem,’ ‘Bold Type’ Season 4 to Resume in Summer
By Joe Otterson
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Freeform announced a range of programming news on Tuesday.
For starters, the Disney-owned cabler has renewed the freshman comedy “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” as well as the freshman drama “Motherland: Fort Salem.”
“Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” is created, executive produced and stars Josh Thomas. It follows Nicholas (Thomas), a neurotic twenty-something-year-old who is forced to raise his two teenage half-sisters, one of whom is on the autism spectrum, after the untimely death of their father.
The series also stars Kayla Cromer, Adam Faison and Maeve Press. It is produced and distributed internationally by Avalon. Thomas, Stephanie Swedlove and Kevin Whyte serve as executive producers, with David Martin, Jon Thoday and Richard Allen-Turner executive producing for Avalon. Additionally, “Please Like Me” collaborator Thomas Ward reunites with Thomas as co-executive producer.
“Motherland” is set in an alternate, present-day America where witches ended their persecution over 300 years ago by cutting a deal with the U.S. government to fight for their country with supernatural tactics and weapons. The series stars Taylor Hickson, Jessica Sutton, Ashley Nicole Williams, Amalia Holm, Demetria McKinney and Lyne Renee. Renee has been upped to series regular for Season 2. The show is written and created by Eliot Laurence, with Laurence, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Kevin Messick as executive producers. Steven Adelson, Erin Maher, Kay Reindl and Bryan Q. Miller will also serve as executive producers on the series.
Freeform also announced that “The Bold Type” would return June 11 to resume its fourth season, which was put on hold by the production shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Also airing this summer is the previously announced limited series “Love in the Time of Corona” from “Good Trouble’s” Joanna Johnson. The show will begun production this summer for an August debut.
The network then announced that it was moving three of its shows to 2021, likely again due to the coronavirus production shutdown. “Grown-ish” will return next year to continue its third season, while “Good Trouble” will debut its third season next year as well. The previously announced series “Cruel Summer,” formerly “Last Summer” will debut in 2021. “Cloak & Dagger” alum Olivia Holt co-starring. The drama takes place over three summers in the ’90s when a beautiful and popular teen goes missing, and a seemingly unrelated girl transforms from a sweet and awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town, eventually becoming the most despised person in America. Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee and Brooklyn Sudano star alongside Holt. “Cruel Summer” comes from eOne and executive producers Bert V. Royal, with Iron Ocean Productions’ Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple. Max Winkler directs and executive produces the pilot.
Finally, building off of successful programming blocks like “31 Nights of Halloween” and “25 Days of Christmas,” Freeform will launch its newest programming block, “Summer Singalong” in summer 2021. It will feature a range of movie musicals, including the network premiere of Disney’s live-action film “Aladdin.”
(Pictured: “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay”)
