TV News Wrap-Up: ‘Dickinson’ Producer Talks Season 2, Netflix Cancels ‘Anne With An E’, Gareth Neame Talks ‘Downton Abbey’ Sequel, and More
It’s been a light week when it comes to TV news. Most of the shows have taken a break for the holiday season and many people are spending time with their families eating cake and pie.
Some are even getting into the spirit with the help of some festive movies and series.
Still, there is always a long game. There are a lot of series coming up in 2020 that need to be promoted, and a few that scored early renewals at streaming services.
Take a look at our TV news wrap-up to see the highlights.
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Dickinson showrunner Alena Smith has revealed the Season 2 focus. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Smith said that Dickinson Season 2 won’t take the show into the Civil War era she’s hoping to cover, leaving that for a potential third season. However, she did comment on what the show would explore Emily’s ideas regarding fame. “Season two is really all about fame and the attention economy, which was a central concern in Emily Dickinson’s poems. She wrote many, many poems about fame and about running from fame or rejecting fame. But she definitely had an obsession about fame even if she was subverting it,” Smith explained.
Anne with an E has been axed by Netflix after three seasons. TV Line reports that the streamer has announced the conclusion of Anne Shirley’s adventures after the third, and final, season premieres on January 3rd. Executive Producer Moira Walley-Beckett wrote on Instagram, “I wish it could be different but it cannot. We have reached the end of the red Green Gables road after three wonderful seasons. My heart is heavy but I am so proud of this show — proud of my talented cast, crew, writers, and directors for working together so passionately to bring my vision of [Anne With an E] to life.”
Supergirl star Melissa Benoist opened up about being a survivor of domestic violence. The Hollywood Reporter details the contents of a 14-minute video posted to Benoist’s Instagram account in which she describes an emotionally manipulative partner. Benoist never names her abuser, but she said that she wanted to share her story because domestic violence, or intimate partner violence, is a chronically underreported crime.
Conversations are taking place for a possibly Downton Abbey sequel. Gareth Neame, producer spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about a possible movie sequel. “We’re having those conversations. We’re working on what the story is, and when we might be able to make it. But it’s the same as the first time around: We have to try to get everyone back together again. And that was very challenging,” Neame said.
The first footage of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist has surfaced and it includes Lauren Graham singing. The Jane Levy-led comedy about a San Francisco-based coder premieres January 7th, but NBC viewers got a first look at the series on Thursday. Including a few seconds of Graham singing The Rolling Stones, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Check out the first look for the new series below.
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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.