In today’s TV news roundup, Jennifer Lopez will be honored with the People’s Icon Award at the E! People’s Choice Awards on Nov. 15, and Netflix released a trailer for “Social Distance,” a pandemic-based anthology series coming to the platform in October.
FIRST LOOKS
Netflix has unveiled a trailer for “Social Distance,” an anthology series set at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The show, which was produced fully from remote collaboration and premieres Oct. 15, tells a new story in each of its eight episodes to capture the human experiences had virtually and at home during the pandemic’s height. The trailer features comedic moments like a “Zoom bomb” and more serious moments like the struggle of parenting when schools and childcare are closed. Showrunner Hilary Weisman Graham created the series and executive produces with Tara Herrmann, Blake McCormick and Jenji Kohan.
ABC shared an extended teaser for its upcoming drama series, “Big Sky,” which follows two private detectives and an ex-cop who join forces to search for two missing girls and premieres Nov. 17. Based on the books by C.J. Box, the series’ lead trio soon realizes during their investigation that more women have disappeared than just the two they initially set out to find. “Big Little Lies” creator David E. Kelley also created “Big Sky,” which he executive produces alongside Box, Ross Fineman, Matthew Gross, Paul McGuigan and Gwyneth Horder-Payton. Watch the teaser below.
PBS released a trailer for Dr. Gretchen Sorin and Ric Burns‘ documentary “Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America.” Premiering on Oct. 13, the film explores history as it pertains to African Americans on the road, sharing stories mostly from first-hand accounts of those who lived through the experiences. It chronicles the topic from the 1930s onward, showing how race has been tied to mobility in the United States for generations. Historians, authors and journalists also lend their expertise to the film’s narrative voices. Watch the trailer here.
Showtime released a trailer for “Belushi,” a documentary about the life of comedian John Belushi that debuts on Nov. 22. Featuring previously unreleased audio tapes and conversations with friends and family, including wife Judy Belushi, the film aims to capture the impact he had on comedy and the entertainment industry. As one of the founding cast members on “Saturday Night Live,” the comedian also created music in a band and acted in “Animal House.” Others included in the documentary are Carrie Fisher, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Lorne Michaels, Jim Belushi, Penny Marshall, Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman and Jane Curtin. Watch the trailer below.
Fox released a teaser for “Let’s Be Real” ahead of the election-themed puppet special’s Oct. 1 premiere date. The satirical comedy show will include puppet versions of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Rudy Giuliani, Kanye West, James Corden, Tucker Carlson, Rachel Maddow, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose. It will comment on pop culture and politics through various sketches and feature celebrity cameos, as well. The special is executive produced by Robert Smigel. Watch the teaser below.
GREEN LIGHTS
AMC‘s streaming platform UMC ordered three new unscripted series: “A Closer Look,” “My Mane Problem” and “Notorious Queens.” From producer Isaac Taylor, the docuseries “A Closer Look” will feature a single artist in each episode, diving into their careers through interviews with the subjects and those close to them. Hairstylist Dr. Boogie will work with different people in each episode of “My Mane Problem” to teach them how to deal with the difficult situations they’ve encountered with their hair. Stormey Ramdhan, Tonesha Wright, La’Britney and Meghan James will be the focus of “Notorious Queens,” a show about four women who have been labeled as troublesome due to past media coverage. The series is created by Datari Turner.
DEVELOPMENT
“Summer,” a drama from “Party of Five” and “The Society” creator Chris Keyser, is in development at NBC. From producers Lionsgate and 3 Arts Entertainment, the series centers on four families who visit the same seaside Cape Cod town every summer and the accompanying “romances, conflicts, adventures and the pain and joy of growing up.”
SPECIALS
Comedy Central‘s one-hour pandemic-based special “South Park” event, which premieres tonight at 8:00 p.m., will be simulcast on MTV and MTV2. “The Pandemic Special” will also air again at 9 and 10 p.m. tonight. The occasion marks the first time ViacomCBS brands have simulcast an episode of “South Park.” Topics set to be included in the special episode are the return to school amidst an ongoing pandemic and challenges faced by citizens of South Park as a result of the coronavirus’ outbreak. The episode was remotely put together by the show’s team of creators.
AWARD SHOWS
Jennifer Lopez is set to receive the People’s Icon Award at the 2020 E! People’s Choice Awards on Nov. 15. The actress, singer and producer has been nominated for six PCAs in the past, of which she has won one (for best crime drama TV actress). She has sold 75 million records worldwide, performed at the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show and acted in blockbuster hits such as “Hustlers.” The award show is produced by Den of Thieves. Its executive producers are Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski.
LATE NIGHT
Tonight, Julie Bowen and My Morning Jacket will be guests on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” and Chris Colfer and BTS will be featured on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Also, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will include John Lithgow and Jonathan Alter, while “Late Night With Seth Meyers” will have on Taylor Schilling, Brian Stelter and Jessica Burdeaux.
