TV News Wrap-Up: ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ Christmas Movie, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 30 Cast, David Tennant is New ‘Jekyll & Hyde’

The Power of Three finds a new member, the holidays are getting even more musical, and another doctor returns to Seattle.

Cha cha over and check out this week’s news!

‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ Holiday Movie Set at The Roku Channel

• Get ready for some amazing holiday heart songs! Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is officially coming back for a Christmas movie on The Roku Channel.
• According to TVLine, the film is titled Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas, and features returning cast members Jane Levy, Skylar Astin, Alex Newell, John Clarence Stewart, Andrew Leeds, Alice Lee, Michael Thomas Grant, Kapil Talwalkar, Bernadette Peters, Mary Steenburgen, and Peter Gallagher.
• Roku says the movie “picks up where Season 2 left off, continuing Zoey’s journey as she navigates work, family, love, and everything in between.” If it does well, the streamer may be interested in additional episodes of the series.
• “I am so extremely grateful to The Roku Channel for helping us get Zoey to sing again,” creator/writer Austin Winsberg, said in a statement. “I can’t think of a more appropriate time to hear someone’s heart song than the holidays. And Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas will be an opportunity to provide the fans and new viewers alike a chance to all tap their toes and get in the holiday mood. This show has always been about empathy, compassion and the triumph of the human spirit. The Roku Channel has sure lifted mine and I hope that our film can have the same effect on viewers everywhere.”
• Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas premieres free on The Roku Channel in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. during the holiday season. For viewers who need to catch up, all episodes of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist are set to debut on Roku in the fall.

David and Georgia Tennant Set ‘Hide’ at Peacock

• TV favorite David Tennant is bringing another classic character to television, with a new version of Jekyll & Hyde for Peacock.
• Deadline reports, David and his wife Georgia Tennant will star in and executive produce Hide, a modern conspiracy thriller take on the classic tale.
• Hide follows “a disgraced journalist (David Tennant) stumbles upon a story that could resurrect his career. But he quickly learns he’s seen something he shouldn’t have, and is now the target of unknown adversaries who will do anything to silence him. On the run as people around him go missing or die, a serious accident has an extraordinary side effect, and he realizes there are monsters in the world – and he may be one of them.”
• The Tennants will be joined by writers/executive producers Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters (Agent Carter), and director Julie Anne Robinson.
• “One of my earliest jobs was playing ‘first policeman’ in a BBC radio adaptation of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,” David Tennant said. “I read the book many years ago and I’ve been fascinated with this character for as long as I can remember. This story has followed me around for years, tapping on my shoulder slightly impatiently.
• “When Julie Anne approached me to talk about reimagining it for the 21st century, alongside her, the magnificent Fazekas and Butters and with the ever-brilliant Georgia Tennant, I didn’t let her finish the sentence,” he continued. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be playing this character, telling this story and working with these people”
• Tennant is also set to return as Crowley for Good Omens Season 2 at Amazon.

Lucy Barrett Joins ‘Charmed’ as Replacement for Macy

• The CW’s Charmed is ready to reconnect The Power of Three, because it has cast Australian actress Lucy Barrett to replace the departing Madeline Mantock.
• TVLine reports, new showrunners Jeffrey Lieber, Joey Falco and Nicki Renna are keeping character and story details secret.
• “Her name, backstory, powers, and connection to Mel and Maggie are being kept under wraps, because… well… it’s just more fun that way,” they said. “What we will say is she’s an artist with a wild, unpredictable love for life and a one-of-a-kind view of the world that serves her well in her art, which is her life’s passion. She’s fun, irreverent, impulsive, strong-willed and will bring a brand-new energy to the Power of Three.”
• Barrett may be most familiar to soap fans for her work on the long-running Australian series Neighbours.
• Charmed is streaming on The CW, with Season 4 set to return in 2022.

Abigail Spencer Returning to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

• The returns never stop coming for Seattle Mercy. Abigail Spencer will be back for Grey’s Anatomy Season 18, per Deadline.
• Spencer played Owen’s sister Dr. Megan Hunt during Seasons 14 and 15. She served in the Army alongside Owen and Teddy. When we last saw her, Megan had moved to California with long lost love Nathan Riggs and adopted son Farouk.
• Megan’s current character description says Megan “lives in Los Angeles with her son Farouk.”
• It was previously announced that Kate Burton will return as Meredith’s late mother Ellis, and Kate Walsh will be back as Addison.
• Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 premieres Thursday, Sept. 30 at 9/8c on ABC.

‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 30 Cast Announced

• It’s time to hit the dance floor. ABC has announced the cast for Dancing with the Stars Season 30.
• Familiar TV faces who will try their hand at the cha cha, waltz, tango, and other styles include Melora Hardin of The Office and The Bold Type, Brian Austin Green from Beverly Hills 90210, and Martin Kove of The Karate Kid franchise and Cobra Kai.
• YouTube star JoJo Siwa will be the first contestant to dance with a same sex partner. Siwa, who is pansexual, was given a choice by producers, and she chose to have a female partner. Siwa first found fame as one of the young dancers on Dance Moms, so she does have previous dance experience.
• Host Tyra Banks is set to return alongside judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli.
• The full Dancing with the Stars Season 30 cast includes country singer Jimmie Allen, Spice Girl Melanie “Mel C” Chisholm, Christine Chiu (Bling Empire), Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills 90210), Melora Hardin (The Bold Type), social media star Olivia Jade, Matt James (The Bachelor), Amanda Kloots (The Talk), Martin Kove (Cobra Kai), Olympic gold medal gymnast Suni Lee, WWE Superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, Kenya Moore (The Real Housewives of Atlanta), Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby, NBA player Iman Shumpert, singer and YouTube personality JoJo Siwa.
• Dancing with the Stars premieres Monday, Sept. 20 at 8/7c on ABC.

Renewals and Cancellations

• BET+ has picked up First Wives Club for a Season 3, per Deadline. The dramedy starring Ryan Michelle Bathe, Jill Scott, and Michelle Buteau is loosely based on the 1996 movies featuring Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn.
• Creator Tracy Oliver told TVLine “in a Season 3, there are so many options on the table for directions to go in” during a chat last month with TVLine. “There will definitely be new love interests showing up and more surprise cameos.”
• Freeform has renewed Good Trouble for Season 4, per TVLine. Showrunner Joanna Johnson told the site what to expect from the new season
• “We’re going to have a lot of love stories. We’re going to be following the pregnancy and where that leads Gael and Isabella,” Johnson said. “Malika’s going to be involved in this brand-new work world, which is going to be really interesting, the politics of city government… And we’re going to see Mariana and the Fight Club girls trying to launch their app [after] their IP has been stolen, and what’s going to happen with that.”
• HBO Max is rewarding the success of Gossip Girl with a Season 2, per Variety. The streaming network called the reboot the “best launch for a Max Original Drama series this year.”
• The second half of Gossip Girl Season 1 is scheduled to premiere in November.

What news item are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below!

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