4 Things We Learned at TCA 2019: Day 1
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The 2019 Television Critics Association summer press tour kicked off on Tuesday with presentations from DC Universe, A+E Networks, and Nat Geo.
DC Universe, the DC-branded streaming service, brought their adult animated series based on “Harley Quinn,” while A+E brought along a range of projects from across their portfolio. It was also announced that A+E network Lifetime would be following up on their successful “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries with two new projects.
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Read the breakdown of Day 1 below.
-“Harley Quinn” Will See the DC Villainess Explore Her Good Side — a Little Bit
Kaley Cuoco will voice the DC character Harley Quinn in the new DC Universe adult animated series of the same name. According to Cuoco, the character will move slightly away from being her typical villain-y self, but not too far.
“It’s almost like a few steps forward and 25 steps back, then she falls back into her old ways and she can’t really help it,” Cuoco said. She went on to say that one dynamic on the show she enjoys is the twisted family Harley builds with her fellow villains.
“She actually loves these people,” she said. “They’re very important to her.”
-“America’s Top Dog” Gets Ruff With the Competition
A&E announced the competition series “America’s Top Dog.” The series brings top K9 cops and civilian dogs along with their handlers together to compete head-to-head on a specially designed obstacle course. Each week’s winning team will receive $10,000 and an additional $5,000 to donate to the animal charity of their choice. In the final week of competition, top competitors will return to the finale course to battle for the title of “America’s Top Dog” and an additional $25,000 cash prize.
The series is hosted by Curt Menefee alongside expert trainer Nick White and sideline reporting by Jamie Little. The series hails from MGM’s Big Fish Entertainment and will premiere this winter.
-Lifetime Doubles Down on “Surviving” Docuseries
Following the massive success of the docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly,” Lifetime is following up with two new projects: “Surviving R. Kelly: The Aftermath” and “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein.” “The Aftermath” is set for four episodes and will follow up on Kelly’s case in the wake of the first docuseries. The Epstein project is currently in development and will examine the case of the multimillionaire who is accused of sexually abusing and trafficking children.
-Nat Geo Boss Talks Disney Plus Programming
Courteney Monroe, president of National Geographic Global Television Networks, touted Nat Geo’s positioning on the upcoming streaming service Disney Plus during an executive session.
“To be one of only five brands to have prominent placement on that platform and to be alongside iconic brands like Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm gives us a tremendous advantage. It’s going to enable us to reach more consumers across every platform,” she said.
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