TV News Roundup: Showtime Sets Premiere Date for ‘Our Cartoon President’

In today’s roundup, Showtime announces the premiere date and first trailer for their Donald Trump animated series and HBO’s documentary “David Bowie: The Last Five Years” gets a premiere date.

DATES

Showtime will premiere its new parody cartoon series “Our Cartoon President” on Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT but will give viewers a sneak peak at the series when it airs the first episode on Jan. 28 online and on demand. Executive produced by Stephen Colbert and his “Late Show“ executive producer, Chris Licht, this new 10-episode series follows the Commander-in-Chief as he opens the White House doors for an “all access” look at a typical day in the life of the President of the United States Donald J. Trump, his advisors, and family members. Watch a teaser below.

HBO will the air new documentary film “David Bowie: The Last Five Years” on what would have been the musician’s 71st birthday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. A follow-up to his 2013 documentary “David Bowie: Five Years,” Francis Whately’s new film focuses on three major projects: the albums “The Next Day” and the jazz-infused “Blackstar,” and the musical “Lazarus,” which was inspired by the character he played in the 1976 film “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” The film includes revealing interviews with many of Bowie’s closest creative collaborators and excerpts from many of Bowie’s biggest hits, including “Fame,” “Rebel Rebel,” “‘Heroes’” and “Space Oddity,” as well as songs from his last two albums.

A&E Network will premiere the new, original two-night documentary special “Waco: Madman or Messiah” on Jan. 28 and 29 at 9p.m. ET/PT. Pulled from the archives of never-before broadcast audio and rare video footage recovered from 247 FBI negotiation tapes, viewers will hear directly from late cult leader David Koresh himself and nine surviving members of the Branch Davidian sect who led a 51-day stand-off with the FBI that ended in a fiery tragedy on Mount Carmel, TX back in 1993. This special will also include first-person accounts from key ATF/FBI officers as they detail the initial raid, their negotiation attempts with Koresh and his followers throughout the siege and their mounting fears and frustrations from the outside.

CASTING

Christian Michael Cooper has been cast in a recurring role in the upcoming ABC drama “The Crossing.” The series follows a group of refugees from a future war torn America who somehow wind up in the present day. Cooper also plays Timmy Lawson in the Hallmark series “When Calls the Heart” and recently appeared on Fox’s new season of “Prison Break.” He is repped by Premiere Talent Management.

NBC has named comedian Kiry Shabazz the winner of its 14th Annual StandUp NBC competition, a nationwide search for comedians of diverse backgrounds. Shabazz has been awarded a talent holding deal with NBCUniversal and a headlining spot at the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) annual convention where he will perform before talent bookers from across the country. He will also headline the regional semi-finalist showcases for next year’s StandUp NBC. Shabazz was chosen from 1,250 stand-up comedians who auditioned at open calls earlier this year in Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Atlanta, or submitted their auditions online – a first for the annual competition.

Beginning December 18th, Rita Garcia will co-host “Good Day LA” on Fox 11 alongside Megan Colarossi weekdays at 9 a.m. PT. Garcia began her career as an investigative reporter for KRGV in Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. She recently held the position of weekday morning anchor at FOX-owned KRIV in Houston and previously served as a reporter for KCBS/KCAL in Southern California. Station Vice President and News Director, Kristine Knutsen said “Rita is an experienced journalist who is already familiar with the unique culture and landscape of Southern California, making her the perfect addition to the ‘Good Day LA’ morning team.” “

GREENLIGHTS

CNN “New Day” anchor Chris Cuomo is getting another limited run in CNN primetime. The move is part of a broader programming plan keyed to the one-year anniversary of President Trump’s inauguration. Cuomo has filled in for Don Lemon and anchored a week of his own “Cuomo Prime Time” earlier in the year. The show will air for a few weeks in the 9 p.m. slot.

SPECIALS

CBS has announced that LL Cool J will host the new one-hour special “MVP: Most Valuable Performer” which will broadcast live from the Avalon Hollywood on Jan. 25 at 9 p.m., live ET/delayed PT. The special is an interactive talent show to find the current pro football player with the best off-the-field talent. Each week, a new group of players’ auditions will be available online for fan voting during December. The finalists will be announced in January. During the show, a panel of celebrity judges will critique each player’s performance before viewers vote live online.

RATINGS
truTV is on pace to finish 2017 up in adults 18-49 in primetime, marking two consecutive years the cable network has shown growth in that measure, according to Nielsen Live+Same Day data. Since rebranding as a comedy network in 3Q 2014, truTV’s median age has dropped 9 years from 43 to 34. In addition, the network’s new show “At Home with Amy Sedaris” has seen its audience increase 88% among adults 18-49 since it launched in October, with nearly a quarter (24%) of the audience comprised of new viewers tuning into to the network.

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