Showtime Documentary Films Announces ‘We Need To Talk About Cosby’ Premiere Date (TV News Roundup)

Jennifer Yuma
·4 min read
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Showtime Documentary Films announced “We Need To Talk About Cosby” will premiere on Jan. 30 at 10 p.m., following its Sundance Film Festival premiere.

From Emmy-winning director W. Kamau Bell, the four-part docuseries will take a deep dive into Bill Cosby’s influential career and ultimate downfall — due to accusations of rape, drug facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery and other misconduct by more than 60 women.

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“As a child of Bill Cosby, I was a huge fan of all of his shows and wanted to be a comedian because of him,” said Bell in a statement. “I never thought I’d ever wrestle with who we all thought Cosby was and who we now understand him to be. I’m not sure he would want me to do this work, but Cliff Huxtable definitely would.”

Added Vinnie Malhorta, executive vice president of nonfiction programming, Showtime Networks: “Kamau has bravely ventured into a very complicated and nuanced area of the Bill Cosby story, which has yet to be explored in this depth. It’s an important and under-reported perspective on the legacy of one of history’s most iconic African-American entertainers.”

Bell, Andrew Fried, Katie A. King, Dane Lillegard, Jordan Wynn and Sarina Roma serve as executive producers, with Geraldine Porras serving as co-executive producer. “We need to talk about Cosby” is a Boardwalk Pictures Production in association with WKB Industries for Showtime.

Watch a trailer below.

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

DATES

Bravo announced “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” will return for Season 12 on Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. Housewives returning this season include Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Margaret Josephs, Dolores Catania, Jackie Goldschneider and Jennifer Aydin — with new friend Traci Johnson. In a trailer, which you can watch below, Teresa moves in with boyfriend Luis Ruelas, Margaret deals with causing pain to Jennifer, Dolores decides to rent a new townhouse, Jennifer faces insecurity in her marriage, and Traci revisits past allegations about her marriage. Andy Cohen, Jordana Hochman, Amy Kohn, Lauren Volonakis, Eric Fuller and Taylor Luci Choi serve as executive producers. “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” is produced for Bravo by Sirens Media, an ITV America company.

FIRST LOOKS

Trioscope Studios and Lumenscapes released a trailer for George R.R. Martin’s newest project, “Night of Cooters” with Vincent D’Onofrio set to star and direct. The film adaptation, based on Howard Waldrop’s 1987 sci-fi novel, chronicles the time martians invaded Pachuco, Texas in the 1800’s. “The idea of telling this particular story as a film with the tone and style of a graphic novel was clearly a good fit. The production — as the director and as one of the actors in the piece — was a lot of hard work, but less than it would have been if we had shot the film in the typical conventional way,” D’Onofrio said in a statement. L.C. Crowley, CEO of Trioscope, added, “Here at Trioscope, we’ve created a hybrid of animation and live-action drama that amplifies the best of both genres. Especially important within the structure of a short film, our unique approach immediately transports and immerses the viewer into a dramatic new world — one that gives nuance to the actors’ performances and their characters. We’re honored to partner with visionaries George R.R. Martin and Vincent D’Onofrio to bring their wild imaginings to vivid life.” “Night of Cooters” was animated by Trioscope Studios. Watch the trailer below.

AWARDS

The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) announced Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley are the recipients of its 2021 animation writers caucus animation writing award. The “Kim Possible” creators will pick up the award at the AWC ceremony in January. In addition to the “Kim Possible” series and films, they also adapted film characters from “Penguins of Madagascar,” “Monsters vs. Aliens,” “Hercules” and “Aladdin: The Series” into series. Additional screenwriter credits include “Hotel for Dogs” and “Sky High,” with writing credits including “Aladdin,” “King of Thieves,” “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins” and “Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast.”

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