Native American Showrunner Program Selects 2021 Fellows (TV News Roundup)

Ethan Shanfeld and Antonio Ferme
·6 min read

The second annual Native American Showrunner Program has announced its selected fellows are Doane Tulugaq Avery, Carlee Malemute and Jason Marcus.

The program’s mission is to amplify Native American voices within the entertainment industry by providing a nine-month mentorship with television showrunners who offer guidance on furthering the fellows’ writing careers and feedback on current projects.

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The Native American Showrunner Program is part of the Native American Media Alliance and is sponsored by WarnerMedia, Comcast NBCUniversal, Bad Robot and Cherokee Nation Film Office.

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

DATES

MTV announced that “Jersey Shore Family Vacation” will return on June 3 with the anticipated comeback of Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. In the second half of Season 4, the famous “Shore” roommates will take their family vacation to The Poconos. “Jersey Shore Family Vacation” is produced by SallyAnn Salsano and Frank Miccolis for 495 Productions, and Nina L. Diaz and Jacquelyn French serve executive produce for MTV.

CNN announced that “Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street” will premiere on May 31. The documentary celebrates the Black cultural renaissance and race massacre that took place 100 years ago in Tulsa. Directed by Salima Koroma, the film is executive produced by LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson, and Philip Byron for The SpringHill Company, and Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton for CNN Films.

Netflix announced that “Lupin Part 2” will premiere on June 11. The series’ five-episode second installment follows Assane in search of a new plan after his quest for revenge against Hubert Pelligrini tears his family apart. Omar Sy stars alongside Hervé Pierre, Nicole Garcia, Clotilde Hesme, Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Shirine Boutella and Soufiane Guerrab. “Lupin” is created by George Kay in collaboration with François Uzan. Ludovic Bernard and Hugo Gélin direct, and Isabelle Degeorges and Nathan Franck produce for Gaumont Télévision.

FIRST LOOKS

Apple TV Plus released a trailer for the limited series “Lisey’s Story,” which releases on June 4. Based on the best-selling novel from Stephen King and directed by Pablo Larraín, the eight-episode series is a deeply personal and pensive thriller that follows Lisey Landon (Julianne Moore) two years after the death of her husband, famous novelist Scott Landon (Clive Owen). A streak of unsettling events causes Lisey to face memories of her marriage that she has deliberately blocked out of her mind. The series also stars Joan Allen, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Dane DeHaan, Ron Cephas Jones and Sung Kang. Every episode of the series was written by King, who serves as an executive producer alongside Larraín, Moore, J.J Abrams, Ben Stephenson and Juan de Dios Larraín.

Amazon Prime Video released a trailer for “Dom,” a Brazilian crime drama premiering on June 4. Through eight hourlong episodes, the series, inspired by a true story, follows military intelligence agent Victor (Flavio Tolezani), who dedicates his life to the war on drugs and watches his own son (Gabriel Leone) become an addict and one of the most wanted criminals in Rio de Janeiro. The series also stars Raquel Villar, Isabella Santoni, Ramon Francisco, Digão Ribeiro, Fabio Lago, Julia Konrad and André Mattos. “Dom” is directed by Vicente Kubrusly and Breno Silveira, who also leads the writing team, which includes Fabio Mendes, Higia Ikeda, Carolina Neves and Marcelo Vindicatto. The series is produced by Renata Brandão e Ramona Bakker from Conspiração. Antonio Pinto composed the original soundtrack.

CASTING

Starz announced that Romola Garai, Jessica Raine, Tom Cullen and Bella Ramsey are joining the cast of “Becoming Elizabeth.” The eight-episode series, centered on the early life of Queen Elizabeth, also features the previously announced Alicia von Rittburg as Elizabeth, starring alongside Oliver Zetterström, John Heffernan, Jamie Parker, Jamie Blackley, Jacob Avery, Alexandra Gilbreath, Leo Bill, Ekow Quartey, Alex Macqueen and Olivier Huband. “Becoming Elizabeth” is created and written by Anya Reiss, who executive produces with George Ormond and George Faber, with Lisa Osborne producing. The series is produced for Starz by Lionsgate Television and The Forge.

DEVELOPMENT

Landmark Studio Group has partnered with comedian Elon Gold for the new series “It’s Not a Show with Elon Gold” for Crackle Plus. The show will feature guests including Tiffany Haddish, Bill Burr, Howie Mandel, Jeff Garlin, Jim Gaffigan, Nikki Glaser, Jay Leno, Amanda Peet, Bob Saget, Jeff Ross, Russell Peters and more. With a 10-episode season currently in development, “It’s Not a Show with Elon Gold” is executive produced by Gold, showrunner Bob Maurer, Scott Weinstock, Willie Mercer, David Ozer and Tim Rouhana. Landmark is a Chicken Soup For The Soul Entertainment, Inc. company. Gold, who released his comedy special “Elon Gold: Chosen and Taken” in 2014, has starred in “Stacked” and “In-Laws” and guest-starred in “Crashing” and “Frasier.” He’s appeared on “The Tonight Show” and “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” and he recently filmed a recurring role for the upcoming 11th season of “Curb Your Enthusaism.”

Disney Junior announced “Alice’s Wonderland Bakery,” a new animated series for preschoolers set for a 2022 release. The show focuses on Alice, the great-granddaughter of the original heroine, as she embarks on recipe adventures with her best pals — a rabbit, madcap friend and Princess of Hearts. The series will celebrate the creativity and culture of food while highlighting self-expression and the importance of collaboration and community. Chelsea Beyl executive produces, with Frank Montagna serving as co-executive producer and art director and Nathan Chew as supervising director. John Kavanaugh is the songwriter and music director, and Matthew Margeson serves as composer. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation.

LATE NIGHT

Joel McHale and Thalía will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” while Heidi Klum, Mike Epps and Madness will be on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will feature Michelle Obama, while “The Late Late Show With James Corden” will feature Martin Freeman and Rag’n’Bone Man. Amy Adams, Stacey Abrams and Ashe will be on “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” and Julian Dennison will appear on “A Little Late With Lilly Singh.”

RATINGS

Since premiering on March 26, “Baby Shark’s Big Show!” ranks as the No. 1 series with kids ages 2 to 5 across all TV. The show has reached 11.1 million total viewers across all airings on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., with 2 million total transactions for “Baby Shark” on Nick Jr. VOD since its launch.

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