Netflix Releases ‘Bridgerton’ Premiere Date, First Photos (TV News Roundup)

Natalie Oganesyan
·5 min read

In today’s TV News Roundup, Netflix announced the premiere date for “Bridgerton,” and HBO unveiled the trailer for the second season of “His Dark Materials.”

DATES

MTV announced the return of “Jersey Shore Family Vacation” with back-to-back episodes premiering Nov. 19. Following the dramatic events of the Season 3 finale, the reality show will kick off with the cast taking over an entire resort, forming their own bubble amid the pandemic, and DJ Pauly D, Mike “The Situation” Vinny and Ronnie hatching a plan to bring the family together.

“Bridgerton,” the first Netflix series from Shonda Rhimes‘ Shondaland will premiere on Dec. 25. The series will follow Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest daughter of a London-based family. As her family searches for her potential suitor, a scandal sheet written by Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) casts aspersions on Daphne. Along with Rhimes, the eight-episode series is executive produced by Betsy Beers and Chris Van Dusen. Here some first look photos:

FIRST LOOKS

HBO unveiled the trailer for the second season of “His Dark Materials,” which will debut Nov. 16. The season picks up after Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) opens a bridge to a new world and Lyra (Dafne Keen), devastated after the death of her best friend, follows him down an unfamiliar path leading to an unfamiliar city. There, she meets Will (Amir Wilson), who is also running from his past, and journeys with him to reunite him with his father amid a brewing war. Meanwhile, Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) searches for Lyra, intent on bringing her home. Terrence Stamp, Jade Anouka and Simone Kirby will join the cast in Season 2. Watch the trailer below.

GREENLIGHTS

“Doc McStuffins” creator Chris Nee announced her first slate of upcoming Netflix animated series. She created and will executive produce “Ridley Jones,” an action-adventure series that follows the six-year-old the titular character as she protects the museum she calls home alongside her mother and grandmother. She also serves as executive producer on “Spirit Rangers” and “Dino Daycare.” The former is a fantasy series following Indigenous American sibling trio Kodiak, Summer and Eddy Skycedar who can transform into their respective animal spirit to protect their home, while the latter centers on a nursery for baby dinosaurs.

Epix ordered the upcoming dramedy “Bridge and Tunnel” to series. The six-episode series, written, directed and executive produced by Edward Burns and previously announced in development as “Gibson Station,” will premier Jan. 24, 2021. Set in 1980, the series follows a group of recent college graduates who are looking to pursue their dreams in Manhattan while staying true to their roots in a working-class Long Island town. The cast includes Sam Vartholomeos, Caitlin Stasey, Gigi Zumbado, Jan Luis Castellanos, Brian Muller and Isabella Farrell. Aaron Lubin and Lori Keith Douglas join Burns as executive producers. Production is currently underway in New York.

PROGRAMMING

“Inside the NBA” analyst Charles Barkley and three-time NBA champion and scratch golfer Stephen Curry will appear on Turner Sports’ The Match 3: Champions for Change charity event in November, according to Sportico. The two will fill in for Tiger Woods and Tom Brady, both of whom played in the previous iteration of the event in May, which generated around $20 million for coronavirus relief.

UPtv will air all 153 episodes of “Gilmore Girls” leading up to the premiere of “Gilmore Girls: Year in the Life” on Nov. 29. In celebration of the show’s 20th anniversary and the network’s annual Thanskgiving week “Gilmore the Merrier” binge-a-thon, UPtv will air episodes 24 hours a day and feature watch-and-win sweepstakes with a prize every hour. The weeklong event will also feature exclusive behind-the-scenes and trivia with cast and crew, as well as newly shot insights from some of the cast.

EXECUTIVE NEWS

Crown Media Family Networks appointed Robin Thomas executive vice president of consumer insights, strategy and analytics. In the newly created position, Thomas will spearhead the company’s research department to plan and coordinate integrated research strategies that support Crown Media’s overarching business plan. Thomas will also be responsible for optimizing the company’s objectives in the programming, distribution, ad sales and marketing departments. Thomas will report to Crown Media president and CEO Wonya Lucas. Prior to her appointment, she held senior positions at Disney ABC Television Group, WGN America and Turner Broadcasting, Inc.

Ozy Media tapped Chris Rantamaki as the executive director of TV and video, as the company grows its roster of television projects. In his role, Rantamaki will lead the company’s television development, production and distribution efforts, reporting to Ozy CEO Carlos Watson. He will join executive producer Marion Cunningham and director of production Lindsay Roger as part of the TV team. Previously, Rantamaki oversaw series at Eko, a digital interactive content startup, and served as the senior vice president of development and production at Discovery.

INITIATIVES

ViacomCBS announced the 11 writers selected as part of the ViacomCBS Writers Mentoring Program: comedy writers Sara Casey, Rishi Chitkara, Manuel Herrera, Nina Kim and Janene Lin; and drama writers Yakira Chambers, Bradley Estrin-Barks, Natasha M. Hall, Obiageli “Obi” Odimegwu, Melissa Park and Andrew Saito. The program, now in its 17th year and under a new name to reflect the merger between CBS and Viacom, aims to provide mentorship, access and opportunity for writers. The eight-month program pairs writers with ViacomCBS executive mentors who help them craft new material. Following mentorship, the writers engage in a 16-week workshop to learn about the television business and gain access to industry figures.

LATE NIGHT

Tonight, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” will feature guests Foo Fighters, Josh Gad and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Nick Offerman will appear on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.”

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