TV News Roundup: Adult Swim Releases ‘Three Busy Debras’ Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)
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In today’s TV news roundup, Variety obtained an exclusive first look at Adult Swim’s “Three Busy Debras,” and actor Juan Alfonso will star in Disney Channel series “Ultra/Violent Blue Demon.”
CASTING
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Juan Alfonso will play the role of Sebastian Rodriquez on the upcoming pilot for Disney Channel original series “Ultra Violet & Blue Demon,” Variety has learned exclusively. The show centers on 13-year-old Violet, who is chosen by the magical luchador mask of her uncle, the famed superhero Blue Demon Jr., to be his successor. Alfonso is represented by Curtis Talent Management and Nancy Chaidez Agency.
Starz announced Chris Bauer, Allen Maldonado and James Harrison have been cast as series regulars in the series “Heels.” Bauer will portray “Wild Bill Hancock,” a former wrestling star who is now a high-level pro wrestling scout. Maldonado plays “Rooster Robbins,” one of the best wrestlers in the circuit. Harrison is cast in the role of “Apocalypse,” a wrestler who has been at it for decades. “Heels” is a story about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small town pro wrestling. The show follows the story of a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals fight over their late father’s legacy.
Felicia Day, Wil Wheaton, Malcolm Barrett, Rachel Bloom, Jonah Ray, Lyndie Greenwood, Gavin Stenhouse have been cast in Hulu’s “Pooka Lives,” streaming April 3. The upcoming installment, which is a part of Hulu and Blumhouse Television‘s ‘”Into the Dark” horror series of films, follows a group of thirty-something friends from high school who create their own creepypasta about Pooka for laughs, but are shocked when it becomes so viral on the internet that it manifests more murderous versions of the creature. Alejandro Brugues directed the film, which was written by Ryan Copple.
DATES
CBS All Access has announced that “Tooning Out the News” will premiere March 16 in the U.S. and Canada. The new animated variety news series will feature a cast of animated characters, led by anchor James Smartwood, mocking the news of the day and interviewing real-world guests, newsmakers and analysts in daily five to seven minute segments, followed by a weekly full episode available every Friday. The series is executive produced by Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht, RJ Fried and Tim Luecke.
FIRST LOOKS
“Three Busy Debras“ will premiere March 29 on Adult Swim and Variety has obtained an exclusive first look at the trailer for the new comedy. The series follows the surreal day-to-day lives of three deranged housewives, all named Debra, in their affluent suburban town of Lemoncurd, Conn. “Three Busy Debras” was created and written by Sandy Hoing, Mitra Jouhari and Alyssa Stonoha. The three will star and serve as executive producers along with director Anna Dokoza.
GREENLIGHTS
Quibi has greenlit “Trip,” a fire island comedy series. The story, inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, centers around two best friends who set out to have a “legendary” week-long summer vacation on Fire Island with the help of cheap rose and some friends. “Trip’ is written by Joel Kim Booster and produced by JAX Media.
Oxygen Network has ordered one new series, “Exhumed“; two new specials, “The Jane Doe Murders” and “The Case Died With Her” and renewed “Injustice with Nancy Grace” for a second season. In each episode, “Exhumed” examines a murder case in which a victim’s body is the main source of solving the crime. The show is produced by Milojo Productions with Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos and Yolanda McClary as the executive producers. In “The Jane Doe Murders,” crime scene investigator McClary delves into an active case from Polk County, Ore. McClary works alongside Polk County investigators as they put the pieces together to reveal the identity of the Jane Doe and what happened. “The Case Died With Her” follows legal commentator and former prosecutor Loni Coombs as he dives into the case of Emilie Moris, a woman in her 30s who suffered an untimely death just after bringing charges against Jim Wilder for sexually inappropriate behavior when she was a minor. The special is produced by Pulse Films and BuzzFeed News. Season 2 of “Injustice with Nancy Grace” will continue to follow Grace as she lends her expertise to bring perspective to murder stories. Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Grace, John Terenzio, Stephanie Lydecker and showrunner Haylee Vance serve as executive producers.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
The Educational Theatre Foundation has appointed Krista Carson Elhai, Peter Hagan, Elwood Hopkins and NBCUniversal’s Allison Rawlings to a term on the National Board of Trustees from 2020 to 2023. Rawlings, the senior vice president of corporate communications at NBCUniversal, oversees communications for the network’s brand strategy digitial initiatives, diversity/inclusion pipeline programs, executive thought-leadership and crisis communications. Before joining NBC, she was head of public relations for DreamWorks Animation where she led all communications efforts for the global entertainment company. Elhai, a theatre educator has been teaching theatre for 36 years at both Hemet and Claremont High Schools in California, where she directed more than 300 productions. President of Dramatists Play Service in New York, Hagan’s theatrical publishing industry experience spans more than 25 years. He began his career at the William Morris Agency, and subsequently worked at Writers and Artists. Hopkins, founder and managing director of Emerging Markets, Inc., in California, is a national expert on urban policy, place-based initiatives and funder collaboratives.
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