Bravo’s ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Spinoff ‘The Valley’ Reveals First Look (TV News Roundup)

Bravo has unveiled a first look at the “Vanderpump Rules” spinoff series “The Valley,” premiering on March 19 after a new episode of “Vanderpump Rules.” In subsequent weeks, “The Valley” will air at the regular time of 9 p.m. ET and stream the following day on Peacock.

The official description for the spinoff explains that it “follows a group of close friends as they trade bottle service in West Hollywood for baby bottles in the Valley all while they navigate bustling businesses, rocky relationships and feisty friendships.”

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The five couples featured this season include Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright, Kristen Doute and Luke Broderick, Danny and Nia Booko, Jesse and Michelle Lally, and Jason and Janet Caperna. Jasmine Goode and Zack Wickham join the series as friends.

Executive producers include Alex Baskin and Jeff Festa for 32 Flavors Entertainment; Aaron Rothman, Josh Halpert and Jessica Chesler for Haymaker East; and Barry Poznick and Lucilla D’Agostino for Evolution Media, which is owned by Amazon MGM Studios. Additional executive producers include Keith Burke, Chaz Morgan, Anne Swan, Lisa Vanderpump and Ryan Revel.

See below to watch the first few minutes of “The Valley.”

In other TV roundup:

FIRST LOOKS

FX has released the trailer for “Spermworld,” which premieres on March 29 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will stream on Hulu. The feature-length documentary centers on the black market for unregulated sperm donors.

Inspired by Nellie Bowles’ New York Times article “The Sperm Kings Have a Problem: Too Much Demand,” “Spermworld” spotlights online forums where sperm donors connect with hopeful parents. Set against the landscape of roadside motels, abandoned shopping malls and suburban bathrooms, the documentary follows the encounters between donors and recipients exchanging more than just genetic material.

The film is directed by Lance Oppenheim, with Kathleen Lingo of The New York Times serving as executive producer alongside Eli Despres, Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg for Edgeline Films. Lauren Belfer produces. “Spermworld” marks Oppenheim’s latest collaboration with director of photography David Bolen, editor Daniel Garber and composer Ari Balouzian.

Watch the trailer below.

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Bravo has released a first look at “The Real Housewives of Dubai” Season 2, which premieres on Sunday, June 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Starting June 11, the series will move to its regular timeslot of Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with episodes streaming on Peacock the next day. The first season aired in 2022 and is available on Peacock.

The previously announced Season 2 cast includes returning housewives Chanel Ayan, Caroline Brooks, Sara Al Madani, Lesa Milan and Caroline Stanbury. New housewife Taleen Marie will join this season.

Truly Original produces “The Real Housewives of Dubai,” with Steven Weinstock, Glenda Hersh, Lauren Eskelin, Jamie Jakimo, Leola Westbrook-Lawrence and Tamara Najm Coudurier serving as executive producers. Andy Cohen is also an executive producer.

See the first look clip below.

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Apple TV+ has released the trailer for “The Bloody Hundredth,” a documentary honoring the heroes of the 100th Bomb Group — the men who inspired “Masters of the Air.” It premieres globally on March 15 on the streamer, just in time for the “Masters of the Air” series finale.

Narrated by Tom Hanks, the documentary is produced by Playtone-Amblin and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Hanks and Gary Goetzman. Mark Herzog and long-time Spielberg collaborator Laurent Bouzereau direct the hour-long documentary, which spotlights the true stories of the real-life airmen featured in “Masters of the Air.”

Watch the full trailer below.

RATINGS

1.2 million viewers tuned into Lifetime over the course of three days to watch the new documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams?,” per Nielsen’s measurements. That marks a slight increase from the just over one million viewers the network saw with the Feb. 24 premiere.

In terms of Live + 3 viewership, “Where Is Wendy Williams?” marks Lifetime’s best performance for non-fiction content since its 2022 Janet Jackson documentary. The documentary will air again on March 1 at 7 p.m. ET/PT and March 2 at 1:30 ET/PT.

The official description of “Where Is Wendy Williams?” reads, “Over the course of nearly two years, cameras chronicled the former television host and radio star Wendy Williams on the next phase of her life, following the end of her iconic talk show. The documentary provides a raw, honest and unfiltered reality of Wendy’s life after she was placed under financial guardianship, shedding light on the vulnerabilities that have turned Wendy into the Hot Topic herself. Suffering mental and physical issues, Wendy’s delicate state of mind, erratic behavior and declining health were all captured by the cameras.”

The documentary is now available on VOD and for purchase on Prime Video.

PROGRAMMING

Season 18 of BYUtv’s sketch comedy series “Studio C” will premiere on Monday, March 4.  The celebratory hour-long 200^th episode will be available on the BYUtv app and BYUtv.org, in addition to airing at 5 p.m. PT. The show has garnered over two billion views on YouTube, with viral videos including “Top Soccer Shootout Ever with Scott Sterling.” Additionally, guest stars have included Kenan Thompson, Will Forte and John Heder. The 200^th episode will feature 18 past and current cast members, including the ten original cast members. Previously aired episodes can be streamed for free on the BYUTv app and BYUtv.org.

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Canela Media, a minority-woned, Latino-focused OTT media company, will celebrate International Women’s History Month with a slew of special programming across all its verticals — shining a spotlight on Latina trailblazers from the Golden Era to Modern Day.

The month-long celebration is headlined by new episodes of Canela Kids’ educational series “SúperEllas” premiering on March 7. The animated series, “which goes beyond conventional storytelling,” employing a “fun and colorful approach,” is meant to “inspire the next generation and instill a sense of pride in children by showcasing the accomplishments of Latinas who have reached new heights in their respective fields.”

The show will explore the lives of influential, iconic Latina figures like Jennifer López, Zoe Saldaña, Argentinian tennis veteran Gabriela Sabatini and the highest-ranking Hispanic at NASA, Puerto Rican scientist and inventor Olga Gonzalez-Sanabria.

Airings of the reality show “Secretos de Villanas,” original docuseries “Mi Vida,” “Divas del Cine de Oro,” as an homage to the “golden age of cinema,” and a variety of music, sports, and entertainment news will round out the slew of programming.

The celebration will kick off on March 1 and continue to March 31.

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Season 3 of “Alex Rider” will premiere exclusively on Amazon Freevee on April 5. All eight episodes will be released on launch day, bringing the spy thriller’s “journey of self-discovery to a shocking conclusion.”

Based on the best-selling book franchise written by Anthony Horowitz, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, Alex Rider is a London-based teenager who, unbeknownst to him, has been trained for the dangerous world of espionage since he was a child.

According to the release, the season is adapted from the fifth novel in the series and “sets the teenage spy on the tail of his greatest enemy: the elusive criminal network known as Scorpia. Under new leadership, the criminal cabal plan to extort the British Government using their catastrophic new super-weapon: ‘Invisible Sword.’ Free of The Department and aided by his closest friends, Tom and Kyra, Alex embarks on a personal mission to destroy Scorpia once and for all. Little does he know, his ties to both organizations run deeper than he ever thought possible.”

“It’s been such a great experience seeing the fan reaction to the first two seasons of ‘Alex Rider,'” Anthony Horowitz, executive producer and franchise author, said in a statement. “I am thrilled this upcoming season will focus on Scorpia, as the story will lead Alex and viewers to question everything they’ve learned so far.”

The third season of Alex Rider features the return of series stars Otto Farrant (“Edge of the World,” “Mrs. Wilson”) as Alex Rider, Vicky McClure (“Line of Duty,” “Trigger Point”) as Mrs. Jones, Stephen Dillane (“The Outrun,” “Red Election”) as Alan Blunt, Brenock O’Connor (“The Split,” “Game of Thrones”) as Tom Harris, Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ (“Rain Dogs,” “Christopher Robin”) as Jack Starbright and Marli Siu (“Everything I Know About Love,” “Our Ladies”) as Kyra Vashenko-Chao.

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Martial arts organization One Championship has announced the details for “One 166: Qatar,” with takes place at Lusail Sports Arena on March 1.

Marking the promotion’s first-ever live event in the country, “One 166: Qatar” will feature three World Championship rematches. The main event will see undefeated One Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin of Russia challenge One Middleweight MMA World Champion Reinier de Ridder of the Netherlands in a bid to become a three-division World Champion.

The co-main events include the return of One Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai of China to face interim titleholder Thanh Le of the U.S. and Vietnam, as well as One Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks of the U.S. defending his gold against former titleholder Joshua Pacio of the Philippines.

“One 166: Qatar” will be broadcast worldwide in 190 countries and air exclusively on beIN Sports in the MENA region. It will also air live and free on Watch.ONEFC.com in many regions around the world. Additionally, for the first time ever, Prime Video will livestream a One event in the U.S. and Canada.

EXECUTIVE NEWS

Danyel Mendoza has been named vice president, programming strategy and content planning for Disney branded networks, including Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD.

In the new role, Mendoza will be in charge of linear and nonlinear platforms, with strategy and planning teams will now be aligned into one. Additionally, Mendoza will collaborate with DTC programming teams to migrate branded content to Disney+ and Hulu.

Mendoza will continue to report to Christian Drobnyk, executive vice president, programming for FX, National Geographic, Freeform and Disney Branded Television with Disney Entertainment Television’s News Groups and Networks.

“Danyel has exceptional expertise in our kid-targeted content, platforms and franchise business, and is a true team player working collaboratively across the company to develop, launch and grow key multiplatform priorities,” said Drobnyk.

Mendoza has worked at Disney for 27 years, most recently as director of multiplatform programming strategy and content planning for Disney Channels and National Geographic.

AWARDS

Kelsea Ballerini will return as host for CBS’ 2024 “CMT Music Awards” on April 7 from Austin’s Moody Center. She will also perform at the show, which airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and Paramount+ .

“Hosting an awards show that celebrates the music that the fans love most has been an honor and I know this year will be another unforgettable night,” Ballerini said in a statement.

Ballerini previously hosted the 2021 and 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS alongside Kane Brown. She also hosted remotely for the 2022 show, making the 2024 show the fourth consecutive year she will lead the event. Nominations, performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

Margaret Comeaux (CMT), John Hamlin (Switched On Entertainment), Leslie Fram (CMT) and Jason Owen (Sandbox Entertainment) executive produce the show. Jackie Barba and Heather D. Graffagnino serve as executives in charge of production, while Taryn Hurd is a talent producer.

LOCAL TV

KNBC-TV announced that Olivia Garvey will serve as sports anchor for the station’s weekend newscasts NBC4 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. She will join news anchors Kathy Vara and Jonathan Gonzalez and meteorologist Stephanie Olmo. Garvey will make her on-air debut in March.

Garvey is the daughter to former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey, who — in an unusual bit of timing for KNBC — is currently engaged in a high-profile run for U.S. Senate in California.

Garvey most recently served as weekend sports anchor for WJLA-TV Washington D.C., covering professional and college sports. Prior to that, she served as sports anchor and reporter for NBC Palm Springs. Earlier in her career, she also worked two seasons as a production assistant at the NFL Network’s “NFL Total Access” and NFL Redzone with Scott Hanson.

STREAMING

NBCU and Roku have announced that short-form video clips from “Saturday Night Live,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” are now available on Roku and will regularly appear on the platform following their broadcast on NBC. Clips from NBC Sports will also be available in coming weeks. The short-form clips can be found on the Roku Channel and promoted across the Roku platform.

“Roku is an important partner, bringing our leading entertainment and information to tens of millions of homes and broadening our footprint for our audiences and partners,” said Matt Schnaars, president, content distribution, NBCUniversal. “With this launch, together we will be able to deliver even more of the content that people want with can’t-miss short-form clips, all from the top talent and brands within the NBCUniversal family.”

DEALS

Fuse Media has announced new partnerships with Lionsgate, Tastemade and Trusted Media Brands ahead of 2024-2025 Upfronts.

Fuse Media will exclusively sell advertising inventory for some of Lionsgate’s FAST channels including EBONY TV, MovieSphere, HerSphere and OuterSphere. Addtionally, Fuse will be the only company able to access Tastemade’s inventory across Tastemade, Tastemade Travel, Tastemade Home, and Tastemade en Español. Fuse will also exclusively represent TMB’s properties including Fail Army, People Are Awesome, The Pet Collective, At Home With Family Handyman and Weather Spy.

“We are beyond thrilled to forge these mutually beneficial partnerships with Lionsgate, Tastemade and Trusted Media Brands, each of which have built strong, dedicated multicultural audiences for their own content offerings,” said Miguel Roggero, chairman and CEO of Fuse Media. “By harnessing the impressive reach and brand equity of these new partners, Fuse Media can offer large-scale solutions for advertisers looking to reach even greater numbers of young, culturally diverse viewers—and their $7 trillion buying power.”

“As we enter this year’s Upfronts with a robust slate of FAST channels featuring inclusive programming, Fuse Media will supercharge our ability to connect with advertisers looking to reach culturally diverse audiences,” said Susan Hummel, Lionsgate’s head of domestic channels and executive vice president and managing director, Canada.

BENEFITS

Actors Matt Walsh, Annabelle Gurwitch, Brad Raider, Nicole Bilderback and Brian Kavanaugh, among others, hosted a fundraiser on Feb. 25 aimed at benefiting those most affected by anti-LGBTQ violence.

The actors were joined at the Lyric Hyperion Theater in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, by public figures who have been the targets of anti-LGBTQ harassment for a reading of the play “Middling” by writer-performer Jessica Hopper (“The Leftovers,” “The Mentalist” and “Will & Grace” ).

Guests included former mayor of Burbank Konstantine Anthony (currently running for L.A. County Board of Supervisors District 5), the Drag Queen Laureate of West Hollywood, Pickle, and LGBTQIA+ activist and congressional District 30 candidate Maebe a Girl, among others.

At the performance, Konstantine Anthony, a frequent target of Aneta Krpekyan and Jordan Henry’s anti-LGBTQ coalition, Leave Our Kids Alone, shared the “terror” his Burbank office felt when they received death threats after the social media account “Libs of TikTok” and the podcast “Wisenuts” publicized his attendance at a fundraiser where a drag queen was present.

In response to this anecdote, Angela Givant — Glendale Unified School District Parents for Public Schools organizer — said, “Those of us who know history know that calls to restrict access to ideas lead to restriction of liberties for those who hold them; that calls to burn books are often followed by the burning of buildings, cultures, and people. We know that when artists are labeled degenerate, those doing the labeling become primed for violence against them.”

Despite selling out to an enthusiastic audience, the performance of “Middling” was not advertised. Organizers kept the event top secret to minimize harassment by local LOKA agitators — the event aimed to bring light and spotlight the local elections at the district on March 5.

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