‘Chucky,’ ‘Reginald the Vampire’ and More Syfy Series Land Premiere Dates (TV News Roundup)

Syfy has announced its spring and summer slate of television series, including “Chucky” and “Reginald the Vampire.”

The network revealed the dates during NBCUniversal’s portion of the TV Critics Assn. winter press tour in Pasadena. The second half of Season 3 of “Chucky” will premiere April 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Season 2 of “Reginald the Vampire” will premiere May 8 at 10 p.m. and Season 2 of “The Ark” will arrive in the summer. Additionally, the horror drama “SurrealEstate” has been renewed for Season 3.

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In Season 3 of “Chucky,” the murderous doll finds himself in the White House. Meanwhile, “Reginald the Vampire” follows a man who “finally got his life together when he was turned into a vampire.”

“The Ark” is set “100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. The first of these missions on a spacecraft known as Ark One encounters a catastrophic event causing massive destruction and loss of life.”

“SurrealEstate” focuses on “real estate agent Luke Roman and an elite team of specialists that handle the cases no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away.”

Also in TV news:

FIRST LOOKS

HBO has released a teaser trailer for the upcoming seven-episode limited series “The Sympathizer,” debuting April 14 at 9 p.m. ET on the network and available to stream on Max. Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar are co-showrunners and executive producers.

The series’ logline reads, “Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, ‘The Sympathizer’ is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.”

The cast includes Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Phanxine, Vy Le, Ky Duyen, Kieu Chinh, Duy Nguyen, Alan Trong, Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr., who plays multiple characters.

Chan-wook wrote and directed the first three episodes. McKellar is also a writer on the series. Downey Jr. executive produces alongside Susan Downey and Amanda Burrell for Team Downey. Niv Fichman executive produces for Rhombus Media. Additional executive producers include Kim Ly, Ron Schmidt, author Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Jisun Back on behalf of Moho Film. Fernando Meirelles directed episode 4 and Marc Munden helmed episodes 5-7. Additional writers include Mark Richard, Naomi Iizuka, Maegan Houang, Anchuli Felicia King and Tea Ho. “The Sympathizer” is a co-production between HBO, A24 and Rhombus in association with Media Moho Film and Cinetic Media.

Watch the teaser trailer below.

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Amazon Freevee has released the trailer for the upcoming thriller series “Boat Story,” premiering March 12 with the release of all six episodes.

The series’ official description reads: “’Boat Story’ follows two strangers, Daisy Haggard (‘Back to Life,’ ‘Breeders’) and Paterson Joseph (‘Wonka,’ ‘Timeless’) as Janet and Samuel, who can’t believe their luck when they stumble upon a shipwrecked boat full of cocaine. With each of them desperate for a fresh start, they agree to sell the drugs and split the cash. But on their tail are the police, masked hit men, and a sharp-suited gangster known only as ‘The Tailor.’ When two ordinary people are pushed to the very edge, can they trust each other and get away with their lives and money?”

The rest of the cast includes Tcheky Karyo, Joanna Scanlan, Craig Fairbrass, Phil Daniels and Ethan Lawrence.

Harry and Jack Williams wrote the series. They also executive produce with Christopher Aird, Sarah Hammond and Daniel Walker on behalf of Two Brothers Pictures. Tommy Bulfin and Nawfal Faizullah executive produce for the BBC.

Watch the trailer below.

CASTING

Thomas Doherty has joined Season 2 of Hulu’s “Tell Me Lies” in a recurring role. The series, currently in production, unfolds over the course of eight years, following a group of college friends as they get caught up in toxic relationships and entanglements.

Doherty will play Leo, “a Junior at Baird who returns to campus after studying abroad for a year and finds himself immediately drawn to Lucy (Grace Van Patten). He is seemingly as kind as he is charming, but Lucy isn’t sure whether she can fully trust him. Leo will eventually become entangled in the web created by Lucy and Stephen’s (Jackson White) toxic  reboot relationship.”

Doherty has previously appeared in Max’s “Gossip Girl,” the Hulu series “High Fidelity” and HBO’s “Catherine the Great.”

Meaghan Oppenheimer serves as executive producer and showrunner of “Tell Me Lies,” which is based on the book by Carola Lovering. Lovering is a consulting producer.

EXECUTIVE NEWS

NBC Sports California has named Jenny Cavnar to serve as the primary play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Athletics. Cavnar will be the first female primary play-by-play announcer in MLB history. In her new role, she will call a majority of games for the Oakland A’s.

Cavnar has covered baseball for 17 years and has 20 years of experience working in media. She spent the last 12 years as a backup play-by-play announcer, pregame and postgame host, and reporter for regional television coverage of the Colorado Rockies. In 2018, she was the first woman in 25 years to call TV play-by-play for an MLB game and in 2015 was the first woman to offer analysis for a National League on radio.

“Jenny is a very talented announcer with significant experience covering baseball,” said Matt Murphy, president and general manager of NBC Sports California and NBC Sports Bay Area. “She’s been a groundbreaking professional who’s earned the admiration of fans and her peers throughout her career. We’re very excited for her to join our excellent team and lead our A’s coverage starting this season.”

Cavnar also contributes regularly to MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM.

“It is a dream come true to join the broadcast team for the Oakland A’s and their rich baseball history,” said Cavnar. “Growing up the daughter of a baseball coach, I have loved the game from a young age, along with the stories, history, and relationships the game provides. I’m excited to start my 18th season as a major league broadcaster with my good friend Dallas Braden and share our experiences with the loyal fans of the Athletics as we go on this ride together.”

AWARD SHOWS

Raj Kapoor will return as executive producer and showrunner of the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards. Patrick Menton will serve as co-executive producer. The awards take place in May from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on Prime Video.

“We have a true love for country music and its continued expansion and recognition around the world,” Kapoor and Menton said in a statement. “It’s an absolute privilege to create a show that celebrates the astounding talents that bring our country music family together to honor their remarkable achievements.”

Kapoor earned six Emmy nominations and won outstanding variety special for his work executive producing “Adele: One Night Only.” His other credits include serving as showrunner and executive producer for the 66th Academy Awards, as well as the past three Grammy Awards. Menton’s credits include the Grammys, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards and other music series and specials.

“We’re thrilled to have Raj back at the helm of May’s 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, following his stellar work on last year’s show, the #1 most watched Country Music awards show of 2023,” ACM CEO Damon Whiteside said in a statement. “With his creative vision and passion for innovating the ACM Awards, along with support from Patrick’s talent and production expertise, we produced a show unlike any other, packed with monumental performances and unforgettable moments, bringing a global audience closer than ever before to the biggest stars in Country Music. We can’t wait to see all that Raj and Patrick have in mind for 2024, and I am sure it will continue to raise the bar!”

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Crunchyroll has announced the musical performances and celebrity presenters for the upcoming 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, which will take place on March 2.

Japanese pop duo Yoasobi will perform in addition to Shing2 with Oma and Spin Master A1-1. Additionally, Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto will perform the new Crunchyroll Anime Awards theme song live at the ceremony, which they created.

Presenters at the live ceremony and pre-show include Chiaki Kuriyama, DeMarcus Lawrence, Emiru, Joaquim Dos Santos, Labrinth, Liza Soberano, Mercedes Varnado, Nava Rose, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Porter Robinson, Rashmika Mandanna, So Takei and Vinnie Hacker.

Voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Job Kabira will host the Anime Awards, which can be live streamed on YouTube and Twitch on Crunchyroll’s channels at 6 p.m. JST. Awards have been voted on by more than 34 million anime fans.

Visit here for more information on the Anime Awards lineup.

PROGRAMMING

Black Love, the Black-owned media company dedicated to “celebrating and amplifying positive content around everything Black people love,” announced the launch of its free ad-supported (FAST) Channel on Amazon Freevee — a free streaming video service available on the Freevee app, Fire TV and Prime Video.

Black Love will use the new channel to provide new programming and an additional streaming destination for its new and existing series, including the five-time NAACP Image Award-nominated series “Black Love” and “Couch Conversations.”

As part of its new slate of content, Black Love will premiere a new documentary series, “Love Against the World,” from New York Times-bestselling authors, actors and award-winning podcast hosts Devale and Khadeen Ellis, in March.

“We are thrilled to bring Black Love to a broader audience through our FAST Channel on Amazon Freevee,” Codie Elaine Oliver, founder and chief creative officer of Black Love, said in a statement. “This initiative aligns perfectly with our mission of amplifying Black love stories and fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities within these relationships. On Amazon Freevee, we will be able to reach a broader audience, connecting communities all through the universal language of love.”

The FAST Channel plans to roll out new and licensed content monthly. Click the link here to access the channel.

DEALS

Latino-owned Fuse Media announced it’ll now be the exclusive English-language broadcast partner of Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise Combate Global — a collaboration that will kick off with a live television matchup event on Feb. 24.

As part of the deal, Fuse will broadcast eight live events between the spring and summer that showcase the world’s top male and female Hispanic MMA fighters.

Additionally, it’ll also provide Fuse Media with the exclusive linear rights to 12 shows produced exclusively for the Fuse audience and featuring the “biggest names and most exciting fights” from Combat Global’s events, as well as celebrity guest athletes, movie stars and musicians who are “passionate” about combat sports — a whopping 500+ hours of content.

“Fuse Media is entering into an exciting new chapter by offering free, live, world-class professional MMA events to our viewers, and we couldn’t imagine a better partner to enter this space with than Combate Global,” Miguel Roggero, chairman and CEO of Fuse Media, said in a statement. “This is a perfect marriage of two minority-targeted companies, Combate’s dedication to entertaining and catering to a young, diverse audience integrates seamlessly with Fuse’s own audience demographic.”

Combate Global has the youngest U.S. television audience of any MMA sports franchise, with a viewership on Spanish-language television that is evenly split between male and female. The franchise is rapidly becoming the second most popular sport (after soccer) among Latino sports fans worldwide.

The kick-off event on Feb. 24 will be a Mexico vs. USA welterweight (170 pounds) matchup between Javier Basurto (23-9) and Marcos Lloreda (13-8), airing at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT from Miami.

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