TV News Wrap-Up: ‘Evil’ Renewed for Season 2, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s ‘The Shelley Society’ Gets Pilot Order From HBO Max, ‘The 100’ Prequel Eyed by The CW
We’re closing out October, and with a handful of episodes under their belts it looks like the things are going well for some of the freshman series.
Several of the new series that have crossed our path this year have already scored full-season, and in some cases, early second seasons orders. But, the networks aren’t the only ones in the game, streaming services are also nodding to the shows they’re finding successful.
Check out the latest highlights in TV news with our TV news wrap-up.
—
Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina creator, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, has lined up two new gothic horror projects. According to Deadline, HBO Max has ordered a pilot of The Shelley Society, a mashup of gothic horror and teen romance co-created with Riverdale writers Tessa Leigh Williams and James DeWille. It’s described as a Victorian X-Files. Deadline also reports that Aguirre-Sacasa has a spec script called The Brides he’s working on, which is a reimagining of The Brides of Dracula.
The 100 prequel spinoff is in the works that will premiere as a backdoor pilot in the final season. TV Line reports that the show will follow the aftermath of the nuclear apocolypse and will follow a group of survivors that fight to create a better society on the ground. It was announced that The 100 would end with Season 7 shortly before the Season 6 finale aired in August. The final season will be comprised of sixteen episodes and air next year.
Batwoman and Nancy Drew have scored full-season orders at The CW. Both shows will round out their freshman seasons with 22 episode orders. The full season orders comes after both shows performed will in digital streaming and DVR ratings. Read more about the full season pick-ups here.
The title of the Arrow season finale has been revealed. TV Line reported that Arrow consulting producer Marc Guggenheim co-wrote the episode with Beth Schwartz. The pair revealed the title, “Fadeout,” on Twitter. They also revealed the final page of the script which had been redacted except for the final two words, “…of possibility.”
Amazon has renewed Modern Love for Season 2, according to TV Line. The series is based on the New York Times column of the same name and focuses on love in all its complicated forms. The first season of the series premiered earlier this month with eight stand-alone episodes and included a star-studded cast including Tina Fey, Anne Hathaway, and Andy Garcia, and Andrew Scott. Season 2 of the anthology series is slated for 2020. Check out our review of the first season here.
Megan Mullally won’t be appearing in two episodes of Will & Grace‘s final season. A TV Line exclusive reports that Mullally took a leave of absence while filming Season 11 which resulting in her missing two episodes as Karen. No official word on why Mullally took this leave of absence, but there is speculation that it maybe friction among the cast. The news came hours before the Will & Grace season premiere, which had been moved up to replace the canceled Sunnyside. The two Karen-less episodes are slated to air later this season.
Freeform has canceled Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger after two seasons. According to TV Line, the announcement came just hours after reports that Jeph Loeb would be stepping down as head of Marvel TV. His domain also included all of the canceled Marvel series in Netflix’s catalogue and the recently scrapped Ghost Rider and Helstrom. Marvel is reportedly steering it’s focus on Marvel Studios-produced small screen fare for the upcoming Disney+ service.
CBS has renewed EVIL for Season 2 and extended orders for four more freshman shows. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network is backing all five of it’s freshman shows this year. In addition to granting EVIL a second season, it also gave a full season order to drama All Rise, and comedies Bob Hearts Abishola, Carol’s Second Act, and The Unicorn. No word yet on the additional episodes ordered, but CBS has stated that each of the shows will be getting full season orders.
The episode count for Stranger Things Season 4 has been released. A TV Line exclusive reports that The Duffer Brothers have determined that the fourth installment of the supernatural phenomenon will once again have eight episodes. Stranger Things Season 4 begin shooting in January and wrap in August.
All of the original McGuires are returning to the Lizzie McGuire reboot. TV Line reports that Disney+ announced last week that Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine, and Jake Thomas will be returning to reprise their original roles as Lizzie’s parents and brother. Hilary Duff will star in the title role.
—
What was your favorite bit of TV news this week? Let us know in the comments below!
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.