TV News Roundup: HBO Unveils ‘The Weight of Gold’ Trailer (Watch)
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In today’s TV news roundup, HBO revealed the trailer for “The Weight of Gold,” a documentary about Olympians’ mental health challenges, and Netflix announced the premiere date for its upcoming animated comedy “Hoops.”
GREENLIGHTS
Epix announced “By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem,” a four-part docuseries that explores the music scene of 1960s Harlem and connects it to music trends seen today, will premiere this fall. The series will combine moments from the cabler’s drama series “Godfather of Harlem” with archival footage and interviews to tell the story of Harlem musicians who used their voices, instruments and music as weapons against oppression. Contemporary artists will be featured as well. The docuseries is executive produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean and Keith McQuirter.
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FIRST LOOKS
HBO unveiled the official trailer for “The Weight of Gold,” set to premiere July 29. Featuring interviews with Michael Phelps, Apollo Ohno, Shaun White and more, the documentary covers the mental health tolls and “post-Olympic depression” often faced by Olympic athletes. The athletes explain mindsets that led to the issues they ultimately faced as their Olympic competitions came to an end. “The Weight of Gold” is directed by Brett Rapkin and narrated by Phelps. Phelps and Rapkin are also executive producers for the film, alongside Peter Carlisle and Michael O’Hara Lynch. Watch the trailer below.
DATES
“Teenage Bounty Hunters” will premiere on Netflix on Aug. 14. The comedy follows bounty hunter Bowser Jenkins (Kadeem Hardiso) as he works with fraternal twins Sterling and Blair Wesley (Maddie Phillips and Anjelica Bette Fellini, respectively). The teen girls find themselves balancing the responsibilities of their new job while also navigating the equally daunting difficulties of high school. The 10-episode season was created and run by Kathleen Jordan, while Jenji Kohan, Tara Herrmann, Robert Sudduth and Blake McCormick, and Jesse Peretz executive produced and directed the first episode. View some first look photos below.
Netflix announced an Aug. 21 release date for its animated comedy, “Hoops.” In the show, small-time high school coach Ben Hopkins (voiced by Jake Johnson, who also executive produces) hopes to turn his life around by teaching basketball to a misfit team of teenagers. “Hoops” is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and created by Ben Hoffman, who also executive produces the show alongside Johnson, Seth Cohen, M. Dickson, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Watch the date announcement below.
Syfy has announced documentary “Todd McFarlane: Like Hell I Won’t” will premiere July 25 and will also be available on YouTube and NBCU’s OneApp. The documentary provides insight into the success of McFarlane, a comic book creator, CEO of McFarlane Toys and President of Image Comics. The film, directed by David Oster, will be part of a Comic-Con@Home panel Thursday, as well. It is produced by Syfy Wire in partnership with Tongal.
“Hiroshima and Nagasaki: 75 Years Later,” will premiere Aug. 2 on History in the U.S and Hulu Japan. The two-hour documentary, co-produced by A+E Networks International, History and Hulu Japan, will also be available Aug. 30 on History Japan. The feature will air never-before-seen footage from archives and include testimonies from both the bomb’s designers and victims to mark the 75th anniversary of the nuclear attacks on Japan, humanizing the tragedy and devastation from the first-person perspectives of those involved. The film is directed by James Erskine.
“On the Trail: Inside the 2020 Primaries,” an HBO Max original produced by CNN Films, will premiere Aug. 6. The feature follows 10 female journalists as they cover the presidential election. Executive produced by Amy Entelis, Katie Hinman, Toby Oppenheimer and Courtney Sexton, the documentary also shows CNN’s political correspondents and the journalists navigating the unusual terrain of covering a major election in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
ABC News has promoted Rachel Scott to the positions of White House Correspondent & D.C. Correspondent. Scott has worked with the network to cover the 2020 presidential election since before the Iowa caucuses, and been a prominent reporter covering the Trump administration and campaign trail. She also reported on the protests following George Floyd’s death by speaking to leaders outside the Whitehouse and covered President Trump’s first pandemic-era campaign rally. Scott began working with ABC News in 2016 as a production assistant. By 2019, she had become a Producer on the White House team and later took on the role of a full-time on-camera reporter.
Play-by-play announcer Adam Amin will join Fox Sports for MLB and NFL coverage. He will also be involved in the network’s college basketball coverage. Amin’s first broadcast, alongside Eric Karros, will take place July 25, as the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers face off in Wrigley Field. Amin will also be the primary play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Bulls during the 2020-2021 season. He previously worked at ESPN for nine years, covering various different sports. Amin also graduated from Valparaiso University with a degree in television and radio.
DEALS
Creative Artists Agency announced it has signed Tommy Dorfman, an actor best known for playing Ryan Shaver in “13 Reasons Why.” Dorfman is also a writer, director and photographer. They are currently involved in the Freeform limited series “Love In The Time Of Corona” set to premiere in August. They also art-directed a Ferragamo digital campaign featuring trans, queer and plus-sized models, photographed and art-directed Pete Davidson‘s “Paper Magazine” cover shoot and have been featured in Calvin Klein and Fendi campaigns.
LATE NIGHT
Tonight, Russell Wilson and Billy Strings will appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” alongside guest host Joel McHale, and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” will feature David Schwimmer, Alison Brie and Jimmy Buffett. “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will include guests Andy Cohen and Phoebe Bridgers, while Colin Jost, Cristin Milioti and Nikki Glaspie will be on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”
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