Netflix’s ‘The Chair’ To Premiere In August (TV News Roundup)

Haley Bosselman, Antonio Ferme and Ethan Shanfeld
·6 min read
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Netflix announced that “The Chair” will debut on August 27.

Starring Sandra Oh, Jay Duplass, Holland Taylor, Bob Balaban, Nana Mensah, David Morse and Everly Carganilla, the series follows Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim (Oh) as she navigates her new role as chair of the English department at a prestigious university.

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Showrunner Amanda Peet executive produces the six-episode half-hour comedy alongside Oh, David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Bernie Caulfield and Daniel Gray Longino. Peet also writes with Annie Julia Wyman, Richard E. Robbins, Jennifer Kim and Andrea Troyer, as Daniel Gray Longino directs.

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

DATES

Restauranteur brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio will host a new Discovery Plus series “Battle of the Brothers,” premiering June 17. The competition show will feature eight upcoming chefs battling for the chance to win a guest residency at one of the Voltaggios’ restaurants. Bryan and Michael will also go head-to-head, each leading and mentoring a team of promising chefs, sometimes even putting on aprons themselves and jumping in on the action. Deciding who advances and who will be eliminated is a rotating panel of culinary experts including Eric Adjepong, Einat Admony, Jordan Andino, Esther Choi, Leah Cohen, Cliff Crooks, Sohla and Ham El-Waylly, Alex Guarnaschelli, Ilan Hall, James Kent, Judy Joo, Jeremiah Lawrence Stone, Christian Petroni, Erik Ramirez and Fabian von Hauske. “Battle of the Brothers” is produced by Woodman Park Productions.

AMC announced that the upcoming revenge thriller “The Beast Must Die” will premiere on July 5 on AMC Plus, with the linear network premiere following a week later, on July 12 at 10 p.m. Based on the novel by Nicholas Blake, the series follows Frances Cairnes (Cush Jumbo) posing as a novelist after learning that the police investigation into the fatal hit and run of her young son Martie has been dropped. By ingratiating herself into the family of George Rattery (Jared Harris), the man she believes is responsible for the crime, Frances sets a plan in action to kill him. She’s tracked by detective Nigel Strangeways (Billy Howle), who has reason to believe his department covered up George’s involvement in the incident. Nigel throws himself into pursuing justice for Martie, but after uncovering that Frances is living with George and his family, he finds himself working to both prove George’s guilt and head off Frances’s plans for revenge before anyone else dies. The series also stars Geraldine James, Nathaniel Parker, Maeve Dermody, Douggie McMeekin, Mia Tomlinson and Barney Sayburn. Directed by Dome Karukoski, “The Beast Must Die” is written by Gaby Chiappe. Emma Broughton, David W. Zucker, Gaby Chiappe, Nathaniel Parker, Marina Brackenbury and Ed Rubin serve as executive producers. Sarada McDermott serves as a producer, while Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer serve as co-executive producers. Joanie Blaikie serves as co-producer.

Starz announced that Daveed Diggs and Rafel Casal’s new comedy series “Blindspotting” will premiere on June 13 at 9 p.m. across all its platforms. Based on the 2018 film of the same name that Diggs and Casal also wrote, produced and starred in, “Blindspotting” picks up six months after where the movie left off. It centers on Ashley (Jasmine Cephas Jones), who is nipping at the heels of a middle-class life in Oakland, Calif. until longtime partner and father of her son, Miles (Casal), is incarcerated. She is left to navigate a chaotic and humorous existential crisis when she is forced to move in with Miles’ mother (Helen Hunt) and half sister (Jaylen Barron). The cast also includes recording artist Benjamin Turner as Earl, who was recently released from prison; Candace Nicholas-Lippman as Ashley’s close friend Janelle, and Atticus Woodward as Sean, Ashley and Miles’ sweet and energetic son. “Blindspotting” is produced by Lionsgate Television. In addition to Diggs and Casal, it is executive produced by Jess Wu Calder, Keith Calder, Emily Gerson Saines, Ken Lee and Tim Palen. See a trailer below.

Bravo announced that the two-part “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” season 11 reunion will premiere on May 19 at 9 p.m. Host Andy Cohen will sit down with Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Margaret Josephs, Dolores Catania, Jackie Goldschneider, and Jennifer Aydin to rehash this season’s juiciest moments. “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” is executive produced by Cohen, Mioshi Hill, Jordana Hochman, Amy Kohn and Lauren Volonakis.

FIRST LOOKS

Paramount Plus released the trailer for Season 2 of “Why Women Kill,” premiering on June 3. The 10-episode season of the anthology series features a new ensemble cast and storylines set in 1949 that explore themes of beauty and fitting in the status quo. Allison Tolman, Lana Parrilla, B.K. Cannon, Jordane Christie, Matthew Daddario, Veronica Falcón and Nick Frost star.

Amazon Prime Video released the trailer for new young adult series “Panic.” The 10-episode drama follows high school seniors in a small Texas town competing in a series of games, facing their darkest fears and deciding how much they’re willing to risk to win a pot of money. Olivia Welch stars alongside Mike Faist, Jessica Sula, Camron Jones, Ray Nicholson and Enrique Murciano. “Panic” is created, written and executive produced by Lauren Oliver, based on her 2014 novel of the same name, and executive produced by Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Adam Schroeder. Lynley Bird and Alyssa Altman serve as co-executive producers.

Apple TV Plus released a trailer for the second season of comedy “Trying,” which will launch on May 21. The second season will continue to follow Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) navigating the adoption process. After being approved by an adoption panel, they now find that matching with a child is not as straightforward as they had hoped. Helped by their eccentric social worker Penny (Imelda Staunton), they are determined to do everything they can. When Nikki meets a little girl called Princess at an adoption event, she knows instantly that this is the child for them. However, there are obstacles to Nikki’s plan that may prove insurmountable. Ophelia Lovibond, Oliver Chris, Sian Brooke, Darren Boyd and Robyn Cara will also return this season. “Trying” is created, written and executive produced by Andy Wolton, directed and executive produced by Jim O’Hanlon, produced by Sam Pinnell, co-produced by Tim Mannion and executive produced by Josh Cole.

AWARDS

CBS announced that Gloria Estefan will host the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors, premiering on June 6 on CBS and Paramount Plus. Estefan previously hosted the ceremony in 2018 and received her own Kennedy Center Honors in 2017. This year, the honorees include Debbie Allen, Joan Baez, Garth Brooks, Midori and Dick Van Dyke.

INITIATIVES

SeriesFest announced the renewal of its “Women’s Directing Mentorship,” in partnership with Shondaland. The competition is designed to discover aspiring female directors and serve as a launchpad for their careers. The winner is given the opportunity to shadow an episodic director on a Shondaland-produced series and will receive a $5,000 stipend. SeriesFest also announced the continuation of its “Executive Elevation Mentorship Program,” which encourages diversity in television by helping aspiring creatives form relationships with established executives.

LATE NIGHT

Wanda Sykes, Max Minghella and Mod Sun, with support from Avril Lavigne, will be on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” tonight, and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” will have on Dave Chapelle, Nikki Glaser, J. Period, Black Thought and Tiffany Gouché. “Late Night With Seth Meyers” will feature Aidy Bryant and Barry Jenkins, while Hasan Minhaj will be on “A Little Late With Lilly Singh.”

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