TV News Wrap-Up: ‘Riverdale’ Actor Luke Perry Dead at 52, ‘Game of Thrones’ Drops Final Season Trailer, Arrow to End with Shortened Season 8

This week has been rough! A beloved Riverdale actor has passed away, Arrow is ending, and Emmy Rossum is exiting Shameless. 

But a lot of good things have happened too including multiple renewals and pilot castings that will let us see some of our old faves in the spotlight again and the new Game of Thrones trailer and new teaser photos for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. 

Take a look at our TV news wrap-up for all of the TV News highlights you may have missed this week. 

In Memorium

Luke Perry passed away Monday morning at the age of 52 after suffering a stroke last Wednesday. The loss of Perry was sudden and unexpected for fans of Riverdale, but while he may be known as Archie’s dad today, he first came to our television screens as Dylan in Beverly Hills, 90210. 

“He served as the show’s emotional anchor, with Fred offering Archie unconditional love and sage advice through three seasons. Their father-son heart-to-hearts may seem like a corny relic from a bygone era, but they served as an essential counterweight to the show’s wilder storylines. As Archie battled mobsters, druggie gang members and even a grizzly bear (!), he always knew Fred has his back, no matter what,” said TV Line’s David Nemetz. 

Actors and fans have been paying tribute to Perry all week. Entertainment Weekly released a special online issue containing Perry’s introspective interviews where he discusses everything from sparking mass hysteria among fans during his 90210 days to helping the Riverdale kids guide their own path to stardom.

Off-set he’s remembered as a self-aware, smart, goofy, and generous man often surprising interviewers with playful answers and offering his own musings and insights. 

In a 1994 Entertainment Weekly interview he said:

You gotta know how good you are at something, and you have to be realistic with yourself. I know I’ve got a lot to learn. But I’m better than I thought I was.

Teases and Spoilers

Emmy Rossum’s last appearance after a near-decade-long run on Shameless comes to an end on the Season 9 finale March 10th. Rossum announced her exit last summer but in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rossum says that she believes the exit does right by her alter ego as Fiona moves on to spread her wings. Rossum says: ” “It’s been a long, wonderful journey and I’m so close to my Gallagher family that to walk away is quite bittersweet, but it did feel like it was time for the character to spread her wings and that there was less need for her. I never want something to just feel like a job and so I’m leaving while I still love it.”

It looks like a love triangle is brewing on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 2. Netflix released five new photos of the next installment of their Sabrina reboot on Monday featuring Sabrina, Harvey, and Nicholas Scratch along with an official logline.

“Part 2 finds Sabrina exploring her darker side, curious to learn more about her heritage while struggling to maintain her friendships in the mortal world. Romantically, Sabrina is caught in an unholy love triangle between sexy warlock Nicholas Scratch and salt-of-the-Earth mortal Harvey Kinkle. Meanwhile, The Dark Lord, Madame Satan and Father Blackwood continue to conjure chaos in the Spellman household and the town of Greendale. And they aren’t the only ones trying to raise hell. Everything is in question — relationships, identity, true intentions — when the devil’s work is at hand.” The new episodes drop Friday, April 5th on Netflix. 

We have new details about Game of Thrones. Fans finally have a final season trailer to watch, along with details about The Battle of Winterfell. There have been rumors about a battle that took several weeks of night shoots in less-than-desirable conditions, but Entertainment Weekly recently released a report detailing the filming of this epic sequence including the painstaking details. Maisie Williams who plays Arya Stark also teased that this will be the first time Arya goes into battle. In related news, a new oral history of infamous The Red Wedding also surfaced this week. 

Claudia Black will be appearing on Roswell, New Mexico as Mama Evans. A TV Line exclusive shows Max sitting down with his adoptive mother Ann for guidance. Claudia Black has previously appeared in a variety of genre series including Stargate: SG-1 and Farscape. This appearance is especially exciting as it reunites her with Nathan Parsons, who she previously worked with on The Originals. 

Casting News 

The new Star Trek Picard series is adding two actors to the cast. TV Line reports Santiago Cabrera, who previously appeared on Salvation and Michelle Hurd, who previously appeared on Blindspot, have joined the as-yet-untitled CBS All Access series. There is no word about who the pair will be playing. 

Chloe Bridges will be making an appearance on Charmed as the girls new whitelighter. A TV Line exclusive revealed that Bridges will be playing Tessa, who fills in when Harry disappears. Unlike her predecessor, Tessa is unimpressed with the girls’ abilities and is “not afraid to be snarky about their shortcomings.” Bridges previously appeared in Pretty Little Liars as Sydney Driscoll. 

Jennifer Morrison has been cast in as the lead in the new CBS Pilot Under the Bridge. According to TV Line, the Once Upon a Time alum will play Caitlin Lancaster a cardiothoracic surgeon whose medical practice she runs with her husband and friends is rocked by a scandal. Lancaster rises to the occasion to save both her business and her marriage. 

Abigail Spencer will be making a return to Grey’s Anatomy.  Spencer tweeted about her return engagement this week, reprising her role on the medical drama as Owen Hunt’s sister, Meghan. Meghan was last seen in October 2017, when she moved to Los Angeles with her adopted son and boyfriend following a surgery that replaced her abdominal wall. Specific details about the circumstances of her character’s return are being kept a secret. 

Sarah Drew has been cast in a new CBS pilot called The Republic of Sarah. A Deadline exclusive describes the show is going to have a Northern Exposure feel and follows a New Hampshire town that declares itself an independent nation when a valuable resource is discovered within its borders. Drew will play town mayor Sarah Cooper, a young mayor, who, along with her cabinet of inexperienced locals, have to face the possibility of running a brand new nation. 

Production News

The next chapter of Dick Wolf’s law enforcement sage, Law & Order: Hate Crimes, has delayed indefinitely by the network. According to TV Line, NBC handed the project a series order last fall. The series was based on New York City’s actual hate crimes task force and the cast was slated to be introduced during an episode of Law & Order: SVU this season. The delay comes from the network wanting to get the story “right” as opposed to “meeting an artificial deadline.”

Renewals & Cancellations

NBC has renewed Superstore for Season 5 joining its Thursday night counterparts The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Will & Grace. In a TV Line article, Lisa Katz and Tracy Pakosta, NBC’s co-presidents of scripted programming said, “Week after week, Justin Spitzer, our amazing writers and cast and crew masterfully deliver a comedy that not only makes us laugh but speaks to the larger issues of the day.” 

Arrow is coming to an end with a shortened eighth season. Series star Stephen Amell announced the show’s end on Twitter stating, “Playing Oliver Queen has been the greatest professional experience of my life… but you can’t be a vigilante forever.” The eighth season will be comprised of ten episodes. Read our report for more information. 

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What is your favorite piece of TV news from this past week? Are there any series you’re excited to see? Let us know in the comments below. 

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