TV News Wrap-Up: Two Parents to Exit ‘Riverdale,’ America Ferrera to Exit ‘Superstore’, Kim Bodnia Joins ‘The Witcher’ Season 2, and More
We are now firmly ensconced in pilot season, which means there are more casting announcement and series orders then we can shake a stick at.
There have also been some exits announced, a cancellation or two, and a few statements about the futures of shows.
Take a look at the this week’s highlights below for more.
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Lucifer bosses are on board with a potential Season 6 on Netflix. A TV Line exclusive reports that showrunners have inked an overall deal to return to the streamer. The only thing standing in the way of the drama returning is Tom Ellis, who has yet to be offered a deal to return. Reps for Netflix and Warner Bros, declined to comment on any potential future for the series.
It’s a good day to be a fan of Sally Rooney’s books, BBC has committed to adapting her book Conversations with Friends prior to the premiere of Normal People. Deadline reports that Normal People will air on BBC Three this spring, and has committed to producing a 12-part adaptation of the author’s first book as well. Hulu is attached to Normal People but has not yet committed to Conversations with Friends.
Macaulay Culkin is joining the cast of American Horror Story Season 10. Deadline reports that series creator Ryan Murphy announced that. Culkin is among the newest cast members to join the anthology series. He joins series vets Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters alongside returning cast members Kathy Bates, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, Adina Porter, Lily Rabe, Angelica Ross and Finn Wittrock.
Suits alum Rick Hoffman is joining the cast of Billions as a recurring character in Season 5. A Deadline exclusive reports that Hoffman will play Dr. Swerdlow who is described as a medical man with unorthodox methods.
All of NBC’s Chicago shows are getting triple season orders. Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, and Chicago Med have all received triple-season orders from the network through the 2022-23 TV season. The renewals are part of a massive deal closed between Dick Wolf and Universal Television. Get more details about the renewals right here.
Grey’s Anatomy has set Alex Karev’s farewell. The March 5th episode entitled “Leave the Light On” will close the book on Justin Chambers’s character and reveal the reason for his exit. Chambers’s sudden exit from the medical drama was announced in January, and as such it took the writers some time to craft a story. Alex was last seen in the November 14th episode, before leaving to take care of his sick mother.
Hawaii Five-0 will end with Season 10. A Deadline exclusive reports that the series will end its 240-episode run with a two-hour finale on April 3rd. The series has been a strong profit generator for CBS. “It’s never easy to say goodbye to a hit franchise that carried on the legacy of the original with such distinction while establishing its own signature style,” said Kelly Kahl, President, CBS Entertainment.
BBC Drama Chief Piers Wegner assured fans that the Doctor Who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. According to Deadline, at an event in London, Wegner was asked if he considered resting the series given a ratings drop and the malaise around the current season. Wegner offered a strong rebuttal including, “It’s an incredibly important show for young audiences, it’s still watched by families in a world where there are fewer shows that have the power to do that. It will always be an important show for us and we’re a very long way from wanting to rest it.”
America Ferrera will depart Superstore at the end of Season 5. The star and executive producer of the single-camera comedy has made the decision to exit the show and put her character, store manager Amy Sosa, to rest. Ferrera’s representatives have declined to comment on why she’s choosing to depart before her contract is up. Read more about Ferrera’s departure, right here.
Killing Eve‘s Kim Bodnia is joining The Witcher Season 2. According to Deadline, “Bodnia will play Vesemir, a charming relic of the witcher Golden Age. He is the oldest and most experienced Witcher in the series, as well as a father figure to Geralt (Cavill). As one of the survivors of the Massacre at Kaer Morhen, a haunting slaughter that nearly exterminated the Witchers, he is fiercely protective of the remaining few, who he sees as an endangered community who can find glory on ‘the Path’ slaying monsters.” Bodnia’s previously appeared on Killing Eve as Villanelle’s (Jodie Comer) handler Konstantin.
Clarice has found its star in Rebecca Breeds. The Originals and Pretty Little Liars alum will be stepping into the role originated by Jodie Foster in the 1991 Silence of the Lambs movie. The series will be a sequel series following the profile a year after the events of the movie and dive deep into her personal story. Deadline reports, “The project was written and executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet has a big series commitment, and a writers room already has been set up.”
Five series regulars have been added to the cast of Pennyworth Season 2. James Purefoy, Edward Hogg, Jessye Romeo, Ramon Tikaram, and Harriet Slater, will star opposite John Bannon in the DC origin story Pennyworth. According to Deadline, “The 10-episode sophomore season began production in the UK in January at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, with an eye towards a summer 2020 premiere on Epix.”
Atypical has been renewed for a fourth and final season by Netflix. Deadline reports that the final chapter of the critically-acclaimed series will consist of ten episodes. The final season won’t hit Netflix until 2021 and the renewal comes four months after the release of Season 3. The renewal makes Atypical part of a short list of comedies that have reached four seasons including Grace and Frankie, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Fuller House, and The Ranch.
Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols will be departing Riverdale at the end of the current season. Deadline reports that the two parental figures on the teen drama will not appear after the fourth season, but have no word on when or how they will be written off the show. Ulrich plays F.P. Jones, father to Jughead Jones, and Marisol Nichols plays Hermione Lodge, mother to Veronica. The two stars both prepared statements regarding their exits. In a statement given to Deadline, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said, “Part of life in Riverdale—and part of growing up—is saying goodbye to people. I’m grateful to Skeet and Marisol for their incredible work on the show these last four years, and we all wish them well on their future endeavors. FP and Hermione will never be far from our hearts. And, of course, they’re always welcome back in Riverdale“
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has received a triple season order. The triple season order will mean that at the series will run through at least Season 24, and 2022-2023 TV season. The series has already broken the record for the longest-running primetime live-action series in television history. Paul Telegdy, Chairman of NBC Entertainment said in a statement that was reported by TV Line, “Dick Wolf has proven time and time again that he makes shows audiences love. We are delighted, excited and proud that as part of this epic deal with Wolf Entertainment, NBC’s loyal audience will know that their favorite shows have a certain future for the next three years.
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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.