TV News Wrap-Up: ‘Superstore’ to End with Season 6, Amazon’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Series Adds 20 to Cast, WarnerMedia Announces Plan for 2021 Theatrical Releases

Hello, and welcome to December, the month where we look back at the year ahead and celebrate holiday specials, but not just yet.

This week, we’re looking ahead to some new series orders and what 2021 has in store for some of our favorite shows. 

Check out our TV news wrap-up to see what you may have missed this week. 

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The Flash shut down production after a positive COVID-19 test. 

• A Deadline exclusive reported that a team member working on the series tested positive for COVID-19.
• The team member was asymptomatic and the case was only unearthed due to rigorous testing protocols implemented by Warner Bros. TV.
• Production has been temporarily suspended and contact tracing has begun. The studio has begun looking at ways to resume production without affecting employees and close contacts that are self-isolating. 
• The Flash also had a delayed production start due to the backlog at a local lab in Vancouver in processing COVID-19 tests.

Hulu has landed the Elisabeth Moss true-crime drama Candy.

• The series, working title Candy, hails from The Act writer and co-exec producer Robin Veith and exec produced by The Act co-creator Nick Antosca.
• The writers’ room has been set up for the project.
• Deadline reports that the show, “…is set in Texas in 1980 and based on the true story of killer Candy Montgomery and her victim, Betty Gore. Moss will play Montgomery, who seemingly had it all – a loving husband with a good job, a daughter and a son, a nice house in the brand new suburbs – so why did she kill her friend from church with an ax?”
• Last year, Hulu revealed that The Act brought in more new subscribers than any other Hulu original in its first month.

Felicity Huffman is making an acting return after the college bribery scandal with a baseball comedy.

• The project has landed a big pilot commitment from ABC. 
• The project hails from Kapital Entertainment, is written by Becky Hartman Edwards, and co-stars Zach Gottsagen.
• According to Deadline, “the untitled comedy is inspired by Susan Savage, the real-life owner of the Triple-A baseball team the Sacramento River Cats. It marks the first project Huffman has taken on since the 2019 college admission scandal.”
• Huffman was reportedly heavily courted for new TV pilots since serving her prison sentence over a year ago for her involvement in the college bribery scandal. 
• This series will mark her fourth project with ABC, all of which have earned critical acclaim. Her previous projects with ABC included Sport’s Night, Desperate Housewives, and American Crime.

Young Sheldon pauses production after positive COVID-19 tests. 

• The decision was made after a crew member’s COVID-19 test came back positive. The crew member was asymptomatic and currently in isolation.
• A Deadline exclusive reports that the series was paused out of an abundance of caution for December 4th with producers evaluating when the show should resume filming next week.
• The fourth season of the Chuck Lorre series resumed production on September 22nd and was previously shut down for a day in October after another positive COVID-19 test.

Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series adds 20 to the cast.

• Deadline reports that production on the drama resumed filming in New Zealand in September after being interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• The latest casting update includes Lenny Henry, Peter Mullan Lloyd Owen, Peter Tait, Benjamin Walker, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and Simon Merrells. 
• They will appear alongside Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Geoff Morrell, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, and Sara Zwangobani.
• No information has been provided about the roles any of these actors are playing. 

Naya Rivera is being remembered by Glee cast and fans with a holiday fundraiser. 

• Deadline reports that her Glee co-stars have created a GoFundMe that will support Alexandria House, a non-profit that Rivera supported that provides safe and supportive housing for women and children in the process of moving from emergency shelter to permanent housing.
• Her co-stars remember and recognize Rivera’s love of the holidays, including an epic holiday party she called Snixxmas and her dedication to give back over the holidays. 
• So far, the campaign has raised $300,000.
• The page includes a statement from Rivera’s family stating, “We are forever grateful to Naya‘s friends and colleagues for having the desire to put such a beautiful fundraiser together. Everyone will always be remembered and loved by her entire family. Naya loved Christmas and we are pleased to know that her Christmas parties left a lasting impression on all of our lives. This fundraiser is an extension of Naya’s love for families, children, and holidays. To honor her in this manner is evidence that her love for others is endlessly alive. On behalf of Naya and her son Josey, the family would like to donate items from her Jojo & Izzy clothing line. We appreciate all who continue to shine Naya’s love and light.”

Dichen Lachman joins the Apple TV Drama Severance. 

• Deadline announced that Lachman will be a series regular opposite Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette. 
• Severance is a workplace drama about Lumen Industries, a company “that’s looking to take work-life balance to a new level with a ‘severance procedure,’ which separates work and out-of-work memories.”
• Lachman will play Ms. Casey, an employee at Lumen Industries. 
• Her previous credits include Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Altered Carbon, and Animal Kingdom.

WarnerMedia announces that their 2021 movie slate will be released on HBO Max.

• The rising surge of COVID-19 has left some questions for 2021 theatrical releases, and WarnerMedia is the first studio to come up with an answer. 
• They plan to release films on their streaming platform, HBO Max, for 31 days; the same amount of time their movies are typically in theaters. 
• Films that will operate on this model include The Matrix 4, The Suicide Squad, Dune, Godzilla vs Kong, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and In the Heights.
• Executives were quick to stress that this is a pandemic specific solution. You can read more about the news and WarnerMedia’s reasoning for this model in our report right here. 

Amazon is taking an exclusive first-run at the final ten episodes of Vikings, ahead of History Channel.

• Amazon’s first window screening rights will begin on December 30th. These ten episodes conclude the final season of the show, which aired between December 2019 and February 2020.
• Deadline reports, “The unusual arrangement means that History, which originally commissioned the show, will only have second-window rights to one of its key scripted shows. It comes as the A+E Networks channel is moving out of returnable scripted series and focusing on limited miniseries.”
• The move also comes as Netflix starts production on the Vikings sequel Valhalla which is currently in production in Ireland. 

NBC has announced that Superstore will end with Season 6. 

• The single-camera comedy will end its run with 113 episodes.
• The news of the end comes after the departure of America Ferrera who was set to depart the series during Season 5 but returned as a special guest star in the first two episodes of Superstore Season 6. 
• “Superstore has always been a signature NBC series that has never failed to make us laugh while also thoughtfully examining important issues people care deeply about. This has been an amazing group of writers, producers, actors, and crew to work with and we are incredibly grateful for all their contributions. This show will forever hold its place among the top workplace comedies for which we have a cherished history,” said Lisa Katz, President, Scripted Content told Deadline. 
• Superstore returns on January 14th with 11 more episodes to complete its run. 

Piper Perabo, Kevin Daniels, and Mallory Jansen have been cast in Fox dramedy pilot The Big Leap.

• According to Deadline, The Big Leap is an hour-long ballet-themed comedy-drama pilot. It hails from The Passage writer Liz Heldens.
• The series is described as, “a funny and contemporary tale about second chances, chasing your dreams and taking back what’s yours. The show revolves around a group of diverse underdogs from all different walks of life who compete to be part of a competition reality series that is putting on a modern, hip remake of Swan Lake. What they lack in the traditional dancer body type, they make up for with their edge, wit, and desire to reimagine an iconic story to fit their own mold.”
• Perabo will play Paula Dirks, a former VP of a car company who decides that the competition is a chance to be vulnerable. She takes over for Laura Benanti who was previously cast in the role but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts when the production shifted.
• Daniels will play Wayne Sleep, who is described as, “a gay, joyful fellow who is one of the co-hosts of The Big Leap. A former dancer, he is entertaining, enthusiastic, and encouraging.” He replaces Matt Lucas who also had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts when production shifted.
• Jansen will play Monica Sullivan, who is described as “a former ballerina with an acid tongue who has come on to co-host and choreograph The Big Leap.”

Fear the Walking Dead has been renewed for Season 7. 

• AMC announced the renewal on the show’s Twitter account. 
• In September the network announced that the mothership series, The Walking Dead, would come to an end in 2022 with an expanded 11th Season. 
• The network is also currently working on two spinoffs and a stand-alone film centered on Rick Grimes. 

Umbrella Academy‘s Elliot Page comes out as non-binary and transgender.

• The actor shared their experience on their Instagram page this week, “I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life.”
• Deadline reported that GLAAD sent their support to Elliot, “Elliot Page has given us fantastic characters on-screen, and has been an outspoken advocate for all LGBTQ people. He will now be an inspiration to countless trans and non-binary people. All transgender people deserve the chance to be ourselves and to be accepted for who we are. We celebrate the remarkable Elliot Page today,” said Nick Adams, GLAAD’s Director of Transgender Media. 

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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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