TV News Wrap-Up: ‘Better Call Saul’ Renewed for Sixth and Final Season, ‘Mindhunter’ Season 3 in Limbo, Peacock Sets July Launch Date, and More

Holy renewals, Batman! 

It’s TCA week and that means that there have been lots of announcements, previews, and casting announcements as eat network, streamer, and cabler gives a look at the upcoming content.

So far, midseason has brought about several renewals including a triple-order for New Amsterdam, and an early second season order for Star Trek: Picard.

Networks are also looking ahead ordering new series into development, and that means a lot of new programming will be on the way in the coming seasons.

Plus, the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards spotlighted some of the most evocative series from the past year. 

Take a look at the highlights in this week’s TV news wrap-up!

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CBS has ordered a Silence of the Lambs sequel entitled Clarice. According to Deadline, the project will be set after the events of the movie and will be executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and  Jenny Lumet. While the series will film a pilot before getting an official series order, the writers’ room has already been set signaling the network’s enthusiasm for the project. Clarice is projected to be one of the highest-profile roles for a young actress this pilot season. 

The L Word: Generation Q has been renewed for a second season by Showtime. The renewal news comes before the season finale airs on January 26th. “The L Word: Generation Q took our original series that was revered and reinvigorated it for a new generation and a new era. The result has been a show that appeals to all generations for its relevance, its fearlessness, its emotion, and its fun. I can’t wait to see what Marja, along with Ilene and this talented ensemble, will deliver for season two.” said Gary Levine, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc at the winter TCA Press Tour. 

Good Trouble has been renewed for a third season by Freeform. The series recently returned with season 2B and featured Callie and Mariana’s relationship in rough shape as Callie decided to move in with her boyfriend Jamie. The holiday special showed Jamie and Callie inching closer to an engagement. Executive Producer Joanna Johnson told TV Line that viewers could expect answers to their questions in Season 2B.

The cast has been set for Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series. Deadline reports the cast was announced at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. After an extensive global search, they’ve announced that the cast will include: Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyman. Cameras roll on the highly anticipated series next month with table reads already underway in New Zealand. 

Star Trek: Picard has received an early Season 2 renewal from CBS All Access. Deadline reports that the network made the announcement on Tuesday during their TCA panel. CBS declined to comment on Season 2, but the second season of the show was allocated $20.4 million in California Tax incentives, up from the $15.6 million the production received for Season 1. Star Trek: Picard Season 1 will premiere on CBS All Access on Thursday, January 23rd, with new episodes dropping weekly. Production has wrapped on the 10-episode first season and production on Season 2 is slated to begin as early as this spring. 

The Mindhunter cast has been released from their contracts as Season 3 is put on indefinite hold. Deadline reports, “It is unclear whether there a third season of Mindhunter is feasible. According to sources, the cast have loved working with Fincher and most if not all would be willing to come back for another season of but they may be tied to another series.” Fincher is also working on a Netflix film called Mank, and Love, Sex, and Robots. There has also been chatter that Fincher is not enthused about possibly doing another lengthy location shoot. 

Freeform has ordered Last Summer to series. The series counts Jessica Biel among its EPs and is described as an unconventional thriller. A TV Line report describes the series as, “Taking place during three different summers — 1993, 1994 and 1995 — Last Summer is set in a small Texas town where a beautiful and popular teen, Kate (played by Project Mc2‘s Mika Abdalla), goes missing. Seemingly unrelated, a girl named Jeanette (Tell Me Your Secrets‘ Chiara Aurelia) goes from being a sweet and awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town — and, by ’95, is the most despised person in all of America.” The story will unfold with each episode coming from one of the two main character’s points of view and will have the loyalties of the audience constantly shifting.

HBO has set the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon to premiere in 2022. , HBO President of Programming Casey Bloys said in an interview with Deadline that writing has begun on the series, but it is too soon to be more specific on the details. 

New Amsterdam has received a triple series order from NBC. The medical series will be on the network until 2023. Read more about this jackpot renewal right here.

Dollface and Wu-Tang: An American Saga have been renewed at Hulu. According to TV Line, Hulu claimed that Dollface was it’s “best performing new binge series for subscriber engagement” in 2019, but did not disclose hard numbers, which is on par with the practice at most streaming services. Meanwhile, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, centered on the “formation of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic in early-’90s New York.” 

Netflix has renewed You for a third season. Deadline reports that the streamer has ordered ten episodes of the third season to premiere in 2021. The second season ranked fifth on Netflix’s most popular programs of 2019, just days after it’s release. The series trended worldwide for hours on its release date, December 26th. It’s been confirmed that Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti will be back to reprise their roles. 

The trailer for Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere is here! The series, starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington will premiere on the streaming on March 18th. 

Better Call Saul has been renewed for a sixth and final season by AMC. According to TV Line, the Breaking Bad spinoff has received a final season order of 13 episodes, up from the usual 10, and is slated to air in 2021. Showrunner and executive producer Peter Gould said in a statement, “From day one of Better Call Saul, my dream was to tell the complete story of our complicated and compromised hero, Jimmy McGill — now AMC and Sony are making that dream come true. We couldn’t be more grateful to the fans and critics who are making this journey possible. Next month, we start work on the sixth and final season — we’re going to do our damnedest to stick the landing. The fifth season of Better Call Saul will premiere Sunday, February 23 at 10/9c on AMC. 

NBC’s streaming service, Peacock has set a July launch date. According to TV Line, NBC announced at their TCA in Pasadena that the platform will roll out nationwide on Wednesday, July 15th, but Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex customers will get early access starting Wednesday, April 15. The platform will offer free and premium subscriptions. They also announced that Peacock Free members will be able to watch select episodes of marquee originals while premium subscribers will get access to full seasons. The platform currently has 20 scripted originals in various stages of development and will feature a robust library of content featuring all the episodes of series such as 30 Rock, Bates Motel, Battlestar Galactica, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Cheers, Covert Affairs, Downton Abbey, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Friday Night Lights, House, The King of Queens, Married… With Children, Monk, The Office, Parenthood, Parks and Recreation, Psych, Royal Pains, Saturday Night Live, Superstore, and Will & Grace.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has debuted the Part 3 trailer. The trailer shows Sabrina and the fright club attempting to restore the balance between heaven, hell and Greendale and suggests that Sabrina must take the throne. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 3 drops on Friday, January 24th on Netflix. 

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What is your favorite bit of TV news from this past week? Let us know in the comments below. 

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