TV News Wrap-Up: ‘The West Wing’ Cast to Reunite on HBO Max, ‘The Boys’ Spinoff Fast-Tracked at Amazon, ‘Evil’ and ‘The Unicorn’ Head to Netflix

Fall is officially here and while we would usually spend this season curling up with some of our favorite returning television shows, we’re still watching many go back into production.

Some production delays could spell good news for series who have garnered some newfound attention through last week’s Emmy awards. At least one series is now getting cable syndication, while other networks are seeking to broaden their audiences with licensing deals. 

Meanwhile returns to production are also causing some casting shakeups, plus more series are still being ordered. 

Read our TV news wrap-up for the highlights from this week. 

—

Schitt’s Creek is heading to Comedy Central after their sweeping Emmy wins.

• The PopTV series will make its debut on October 2nd. 
• This follows last Sunday’s Emmy awards where Schitt’s Creek became the first series to sweep all the categories in its field on the main telecast.
• Deadline also reports, “With its overall haul of nine Emmy awards, including two wins at the Creative Arts Emmys, Schitt’s Creek also broke the record for most wins for a comedy series in a single year.
  

Power Book II: Ghost has been given a second season order, just after a record-setting series premiere. 

• According to Deadline, the first spin-off series in the Power universe drew in 7.5 million multiplatform views in its debut week, making it the most-watched new series in the network’s history.
• The series is also reportedly, “driving subscriber acquisition up 42%, while also setting new records internationally as the top-performing series across the Starzplay International streaming platform in several markets including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Brazil.”
• The series is currently set to air in two parts with the mid-season finale airing on Sunday, October 4th, and the return set later this year for the five remaining episodes. 

Four Ryan Murphy dramas are heading back into production. 

• The series include 9-1-1,  9-1-1: Lone Star, Pose and Impeachment, the latest installment in the American Crime Story franchise.
• The news comes on the heels of Murphy’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest prequel Ratched starring Sarah Paulson. Over the weekend Murphy posted several graphics that showed the series ranking #1 in various territories. 
• The four series will begin to film in mid-October. 
• Deadline reports, “Fox in May announced a pandemic-proof fall schedule comprised mostly with already finished series; 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star are set to lead the network’s return to regular programming in January, if not sooner.”

Lisa Edelstein is joining 9-1-1: Lone Star in a recurring role.

• The move reunites Edelstein and Rob Lowe who previously worked together on The West Wing Season 1. 
• Deadline reports that Edelstein’s role in the Ryan Murphy drama will be as follows: “Edelstein will play Gwyneth, the ex-wife of Capt. Owen Strand (Lowe) and mother to their adult son T.K. (Rubinstein), who is a firefighter in the house Owen is [the] captain of. A lawyer, Gwyneth visits Austin from NYC to be with T.K. after he was shot and hospitalized at the end of last season.”
• Edelstein will also be returning for the final season of The Kominsky Method and will film both series concurrently. 

Liv Tyler won’t return to 9-1-1: Lone Star amid transatlantic commute concerns. 

• COVID-19 played a role in Tyler’s role to leave the series. As a U.K. based actress, the London-to-Los-Angeles commute was untenable in the current circumstances. 
• Her character will not be recast and will instead be replaced by Gina Torres’ character.
• TV Line’s report includes a quote from Tim Minear saying that the parting was amicable and that Tyler is welcome to return, much like Connie Britton on the mother ship. 

A horror-tinged reboot of Pretty Little Liars has been ordered to series at HBO Max.

• The series hails from Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina creator Roberto Aguire-Sacasa and Lindsay Calhoon Bring.
• The reboot will reportedly be entitled Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and will be set in the same universe as the 2010 to 2017 series, with the events of the I. Marlene King drama as canon. The series will feature a new town and new characters and sports the tagline, “New Town. New Secrets. New Little Liars.”
• Deadline reports the logline for the series as follows “Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls — a brand-new set of Little Liars — finds themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin their parents committed two decades ago, as well as their own.”

The Boys spinoff has been put into fast-track development by Amazon following the motherships record Season 2 launch.

• The project from Craig Rosenberg has been in the works for a while but has been fast-tracked in light of the mothership series success.
• Deadline reports “The Boys’ first season already had set a high viewership mark for Amazon when it debuted in summer 2019. In its first two weeks, Season 2 has nearly doubled the Season 1 worldwide audience (+89%), drawing millions of new viewers each week.”
• Rosenberg will reportedly write the pilot for the new project. 

Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has been canceled after one season.

• The streamer canceled the Jim Henson company’s prequel series just after it won a Creative Arts Emmys for Outstanding Children’s Program.
• Executive Producer Lisa Henson said in a statement reported by Deadline, “We can confirm that there will not be an additional season of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. We know fans are eager to learn how this chapter of The Dark Crystal saga concludes and we’ll look for ways to tell that story in the future.”

Alan Arkin is departing The Kominsky Method ahead of the final season.

• A TV Line report states that Arkin’s decision was made some time ago before the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to the TV industry.
• His departure will be written into and addressed in the Season 3 storyline. 

Evil and The Unicorn are heading to Netflix under a one-year licensing deal. 

• The two freshman series will make their way to the streamer beginning October 1st. 
• The deal is for one-year and non-exclusive with the series continuing to stream on CBS All Access.
• CBS All Access will also stream new episodes of both shows once they start rolling out in the fall schedule. 
• Deadline reports that CBS views this deal as a promotional tool helping two creative, and unique shows from their lineup find new lineups. They highlight that both shows include intricate storytelling with serialized elements. The type of story that tends to do well on streaming platforms.
• CBS also cites that Good Girls and Riverdale benefitted from their Season 1 release on Netflix and are hoping for similar benefits for Evil. 
• CBS series are generally some of the most popular titles on Netflix. 

Supergirl to end with Season 6. 

• It looks like 2021 will be the year Kara Danvers/Supergirl. Kara Zor El hangs up her cape.
• Melissa Benoist who plays Supergirl confirmed the news on Instagram. 
• “To say it has been an honor portraying this iconic character would be a massive understatement,” said Benoist. “Seeing the incredible impact the show has had on young girls around the world has always left me humbled.”
• Supergirl will continue to be part of the growing Arrowverse franchise including  The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Black Lightning, Stargirl, and Superman & Lois.
• Read more about his news, right here. 

The West Wing cast will perform a 2002 episode on HBO Max as part of Michelle Obama’s non-partisan voter drive.

• For the first time in 17 years, the cast of The West Wing will reunite to perform a stage presentation of a 2002 episode with creator Aaron Sorkin and producer/director Thomas Schlamme. 
• According to Deadline, the presentation will benefit When We All Vote, a non-partisan, non-profit organization co-chaired by former First Lady Michelle Obama. 
• The episode will also include act breaks with special guests appearances from people such as Michelle Obama, President Bill Clinton, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
• Composer W.G. Snuffy Walden will perform the score on guitar and folk-rock band The Avett Brothers will close out the special.
• The production will strictly follow the COVID-19 Safe Way Forward Protocols
• The episode that will be read is The West Wing Season 3 Episode 4, “Hartsfield’s Landing,” which originally aired on February 27, 2002. The episode centers around the 42 votes in a remote New Hampshire town’s election. 
• The presentation will air on October 15th. 

—

What is your favorite bit of TV news from this past 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!

22 Episodes of The West Wing That Will Make You Feel Better About Politics