In today’s TV news roundup, FX announced a premiere date and released a trailer for “A Teacher,” and Disney Plus shared a first look into “Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.”
CASTING
Robin Thede and Matt Rogers have joined HBO Max‘s upcoming dog grooming competition series “Haute Dog,” which premieres Sept. 24. Rogers will be the show’s host, and Thede is joining celebrity dog grooming expert Jess Rona as a judge. Each episode of “Haute Dog” puts three dog groomers to the test over two rounds of challenges, with the judges deciding who wins “Best in Show” and a grand prize of $10,000. “Haute Dog” is produced by Jax Media with Rona, Tony Hernandez, Brooke Posch, Séamus Murphy-Mitchell and Nicolle Yaron and Abi McCarthy as executive producers. (McCarthy also serves as showrunner.)
RENEWALS
Nickelodeon renewed the animated children’s series “The Loud House” for production on a sixth season ahead of its Season 5 debut on Sept. 11. The show follows the chaotic life of a child named Lincoln Loud (Asher Bishop), the only boy in a family with 11 children total. His friend Clyde (Andre Robinson) helps him find new and improved ways to survive life as a middle child, with the Season 5 premiere including Lincoln and his friends’ transition to middle school. Michael Rubiner is the show’s executive producer, and Kyle Marshall serves as the co-executive producer. Ashley Kliment-Baker is the art director.
DATES
KTLA-TV, the Nexstar Broadcasting television station serving the Los Angeles area, has announced a new weeknight show, “LA Unscripted,” premiering Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. Created by KTLA-TV’s vice president of news Jason Ball and executive producer Kimberly Cornell, the half-hour show will discuss the city’s hidden gems, new restaurants, staycation tips and life hacks. In addition, KLAS-TV, which serves the Las Vegas, Nev. area, is launching a new hour-long weekday newscast starting Sept. 18 at 4 p.m. called “8 News Now Live at 4 p.m.” It will cover local and national news as well as traffic, weather and sports.
TBS announced an Oct. 20 premiere date for new episodes of the comedy gameshow “The Misery Index,” hosted by “The Good Place” star Jameela Jamil. The show also features Brian “Q” Quinn, James “Murr” Murray, Joe Gatto and Sal Vulcano, who are also the stars of truTV’s “Impractical Jokers.” Teams on the show compete to give misery ratings to real events based on the “misery index” created by therapists. It is inspired by a card game entitled “S— Happens.” Executive producers include Ben and Dan Newmark, Andy Breckman, Gatto, Murray, Quinn, Vulcano, Michael Bloom, Howard Klein and Jack Martin. Martin is also the showrunner.
FX on Hulu‘s new limited series “A Teacher” will premiere the first three episodes on Nov. 10. The series follows the illegal relationship between the titular teacher (Kate Mara) and her high school student (Nick Robinson) as her marriage comes under stress. The show’s premise explores how the affair affects both individuals’ lives in permanent ways. Hannah Fidell created the show, and she is also director, writer and executive producer. Other executive producers for “A Teacher” include Mara, Michael Costigan, Jason Bateman, Louise Shore and Danny Brocklehurst. Watch a trailer below.
FIRST LOOKS
Disney Plus released a trailer for its upcoming original series, “Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom,” premiering Sept. 25. Produced by National Geographic and narrated by Josh Gad, the eight-episode show explores the magic of nature at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and The Seas with Nemo and Friends at EPCOT. Each episode showcases the animal care and conversation efforts for the 300 species and more than 5,000 animals that call the theme parks home. Watch the trailer below.
PROGRAMMING
FX revealed that the drama miniseries “Black Narcissus” is slated to premiere this fall, with the official date not yet announced. The three-episode show, based on a 1939 novel by Rumer Godden, will center on a group of nuns who struggle to turn a Himalayan palace into a convent. The series stars Alessandro Nivola and Gemma Arterton, and Amanda Coe adapted the story. Coe executive produces alongside Vivien Kenny, Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich.
DEVELOPMENT
Quibi announced development on “No Pulling Out Now,” which stars actor, author and comedian Michelle Buteau. It will center on conversations the mother of twins will have with various guests who are also parents. They will include comedians and other celebrities, with the main focus being on giving an unfiltered view on the issues that come about with parenting, whether they’re funny or difficult in nature. Buteau also serves as one of the show’s executive producers. Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh, Blake Webster and Rebecca Donohue also executive produce.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
ABC News shared that Mona Kosar Abdi has been appointed to the position of co-anchor for “World News Now” and “America This Morning.” She joined the anchor desk to report on current events in March and will now co-anchor alongside Kenneth Moton. The journalist’s career with ABC News began in 2019, when she came on as a multi-platform reporter in Washington D.C., and before that she worked at WEWS in Cleveland. She has reported on the Trump administration, the U.S. and Iran, immigration policies and issues that affect vulnerable communities.
Brit Hume signed a multi-year deal to maintain his position as a senior political analyst for Fox News Media. He will continue covering the presidential election and political events, while remaining a commentator and panelist throughout Fox News Channel‘s content, including “FOX News Sunday.” Hume previously worked on the network’s “Special Report,” which he created and anchored for 10 years, and served as managing editor for FOX News’ Washington, D.C. bureau. Prior to his 1997 shift to FOX News, Hume was employed by ABC News for 23 years.
AWARD SHOWS
The Creative Arts Emmy Awards have added new presenters to the event’s roster, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gina Carano, RuPaul Charles, Josh Flagg, Jeannie Gaffigan, Jim Gaffigan, John Hodgman, Sofia Hublitz, Gabriel Iglesias, Dylan McDermott, Justin H. Min, Jeff Probst, Rob Riggle, J.B. Smoove and Tracy Tutor. The award show will stream Sept. 14 through Sept. 17 on the Emmys website and on FXX on Sept. 19, with production by Bob Bain Productions. Nicole Byer is on board as the host for all five nights of ceremonies.
PODCASTS
Topic Studios and WarnerMedia Podcast Network announced that “Politically Re-Active with W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu,” a weekly political podcast series, has been picked up for Season 3. Hosts W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu will discuss current topics such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement as the presidential election steadily approaches. The episodes will also feature conversations with journalists, activists, artists and other politically engaged guests.
INITIATIVES
The CW is set to launch a nonpartisan campaign called “CW Vote Actually” on Sept. 15 in order to encourage its audience to prepare to vote in the 2020 presidential election. The partnership with Vote.org, Spread The Vote and Vote Smart will begin with a video featuring CW actors promoting the importance of registering to vote. Other videos and social media posts with the hashtag #CWVoterReady will be included to further promote the initiative, while all CW employees will also be given the day off on election day as a paid company holiday.
Unpack U, a Pittsburgh program connected to nine universities in the area, released a video message for students heading back to school during COVID-19, with features from Seth Meyers, Blair Underwood, Matt Bomer, Ming-Na Wen, Zachary Quinto, Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, former Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu and Chloe Lukasiak. The video serves to replace typical freshman orientation speeches and offers mental health strategies for dealing with the unique stresses of heading to college during a pandemic. Unpack U is created by Citrone 33 Foundation and powered by Embrace Pittsburgh. Watch the video below.
LATE NIGHT
Tonight, Kevin Hart, Josh Charles and Chika will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” while Rainn Wilson is tonight’s guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” with guest host Brad Paisley; Jane Fonda will be on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah“; Gabrielle Union and Nick Cave will join “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” and John Cleese and Glenn Howerton will be on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”
