‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ Final Season Set for February Premiere (TV News Roundup)
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Hulu’s “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” will return for its third and final season with three episodes Feb. 15, the streamer announced Wednesday. New episodes will follow every Wednesday, with the finale set for on April 5.
In the final season, the group is fresh off the release of their debut album and their continued rise to fame, with each of the members beginning to go on separate journeys to figure out where they fit in the music world. RZA struggles to stay on top of things in order to fulfill the promise he made to his Wu brothers to cement their legacy.
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Ashton Sanders returns as Bobby Diggs, later known as the RZA, Shameik Moore plays Raekwon, Siddiq Saunderson portrays Ghostface Killah with additional cast including Julian Elijah Martinez, Marcus Callender, Zolee Griggs, T.J. Atoms, Dave East, Johnell Young, Uyoata Udi and Damani Sease. Alex Tse, the RZA, Method Man and Brian Grazer serve as executive producers on the series.
In other television news today:
DIRECTORS
Amazon announced the confirmation of an all-female director lineup for the second season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which is currently in production in the United Kingdom. The three directors – Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri, and Louise Hooper – will each direct multiple episodes for Season 2.
Brändström, who directed two episodes of the first season (“Udûn” and “The Eye”), will helm four episodes in Season 2 and will also serve as co-executive producer for the series. Hamri and Hooper will each direct two episodes. Brändström and Hamri also have overall deals with Amazon Studios. Collectively, the trio have directed episodes of shows such as “The Witcher,” “Shameless,” “Glee” and “The Sandman,” among others.
TRAILERS
HBO Max original documentary “Call Me Miss Cleo,” from Gunpowder & Sky, is set to debut Dec. 15 on the streamer. The documentary chronicles the rise and fall of controversial television psychic Miss Cleo, who was prominent in the 1990s, and features testimonials from close acquaintances such as actresses Raven-Symoné and Debra Wilson.
Born with the name Youree Dell Harris, Miss Cleo cultivated a nationwide cult following through the telephone hotline Psychic Readers Network, which later came under fire for deceptive practices. The film explores Miss Cleo’s time in the spotlight before she abruptly disappeared from public consciousness entirely.
Jennifer Brea and Celia Aniskovich directed the documentary, with Joanna Zwickel and Aniskovich serving as producers. Van Toffler, Floris Bauer, Barry Barclay and Anne Loder are executive producers. Executive producers for HBO Max are Jennifer O’Connell and Lizzie Fox.
Check out the trailer below.
PREMIERE DATES
“Dear Edward,” an upcoming Apple TV+ drama series written and executive produced by Jason Katims and starring Connie Britton and Taylor Schilling, will make its global debut with the first three episodes of its 10-episode first season on Feb. 3. One new episode will air weekly every Friday through March 24.
Adapted from Ann Napolitano’s novel, “Dear Edward” is a story about survival, resilience, connection and the examination of what makes us human. In the show, Edward Adler (played by Colin O’Brien) is a 12-year-old boy who survives a commercial plane crash that kills every other passenger on the flight – including his family. Unexpected friendships, romances and communities are formed as Edward and others try to make sense of life after the crash.
Also included in the ensemble cast are Amy Forsyth, Anna Uzele, Audrey Corsa, Brittany S. Hall, Carter Hudson, Dario Ladani Sanchez, Douglas M. Griffin, Eva Ariel Binder, Idris DeBrand, Ivan Shaw, Jenna Qureshi, Khloe Bruno and Maxwell Jenkins.
“Dear Edward” is written by Katims, who serves as showrunner. He executive produces through True Jack Productions alongside Jeni Mulein. Book author Napolitano also serves as executive producer alongside Fisher Stevens, who is set to direct the first episode and serve as executive producer on the pilot.
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Netflix announced the premiere date of Feb. 16 for Part 3 of “The Upshaws,” which stars comedian Mike Epps as Bennie Upshaw, the head of a working class family.
In addition to Epps, the series’ cast includes Kim Fields (as Regina Upshaw), Wanda Sykes (Lucretia Turner), Page Kennedy (Duck), Diamond Lyons (Kelvin Upshaw), Khali Daniya-Renee Spraggins (Aaliyah Upshaw), Jermelle Simon (Bernard Upshaw), Gabrielle Dennis (Tasha Lewis) and Journey Christine (Maya Upshaw). The series follows the family in Indianapolis as they navigate family situations.
The show, created by Regina Y. Hicks and Sykes, first premiered in May 2021. Epps, Sykes, Hicks, Page Hurwitz, Niles Kirchner serve as executive producers on Part 3.
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TLC’s upcoming dating series “MILF Manor” is set for a Jan. 15 premiere on the network, with episodes streaming the same day on Discovery+.
Eight women leave home for the chance at love at a paradise destination in Mexico, where they look to meet men half their age. Each episode features challenges for the women that will prove whether a connection is genuine or if it’s time to leave the manor. “MILF Manor” is produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Spun Gold for TLC and discovery+.
PICK-UPS
“Counter Space” is making its way to Tastemade. Hosted by Sophia Roe, the series explores sustainability, climate and the environment, tech, access and identity and the future of food. New episodes of the show will premiere Jan. 17 on the Tastemade Streaming Channel.
Examples of topics explored include food in prison systems, cultural appropriation in the culinary world, grocery store alternatives and more. Guests include Eva Longoria, Michael Twitty, Jenny Yang, Alexis Nikole Nelson, Shaggy, Marcus Samuelsson, Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner, Amanda Cohen, Eric Huang, Dominique Drakeford, Sister Deborah, Max La Manna and more.
“Counter Space” is produced by Vice World News, with host and producer Roe. The sale to Tastemade was brokered by Vice Distribution, which handles international sales for the series.
CASTINGS
Fuse Media announced the cast of its new unscripted original series “Like a Girl.” The six-part series is set to premiere on March 27 and will be hosted by model, designer and former college athlete Beija Marie Velez. The show looks at the perspective of women in sports today.
Velez speaks with pro-athletes, Olympians and champions to share their personal perspective on the issues they face on and off the field. Mental health, social stigmas, body image, reproductive issues, gender and race inequality are all discussed throughout the series.
The athletes featured this season include:
Anastasia Pagonis, American Paralympic swimmer that represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics and holds the world record in her sport
April Ross, American beach volleyball player and three-time Olympic medalist
Jennifer Soto, a goofy-footed American skateboarder from Jersey City, New Jersey, and winner of the Street League Skateboarding Pro Open London in 2018
Cece Telfer, a Jamaican American athlete who, in 2019, became the first openly transgender person to win an NCAA title
Madison Hammond, American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Angel City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League and the first Native American player in the league.
Angel McCoughtry, American professional basketball player and two-time Olympic gold medalist, who has played for the WNBA and also for overseas leagues including Turkey, Slovakia, Lebanon, Hungary and Russia.
REPRESENTATION
Television personality Audrina Patridge has signed with A3 Artists Agency for representation. Initially rising to prominence after starring in “The Hills,” she also returned for reboot, “The Hills: New Beginnings” and has since written a memoir and cohosts the podcast “Was it Real? The Hills Rewatch,” with former co-stars Brody Jenner, Frankie Delgado and Heidi Montag.
This past May, Patridge’s memoir “Choices” was released, and she also competed on Season 11 of “Dancing with the Stars.” Patridge is also repped by Mortar Media and Kopeikin Law.
PROGRAMMING
Obsession Media has announced a partnership with racing editorial brand Speed Sport Magazine to launch Speed Sport 1, a new live motorsports FAST channel expected to debut in the spring.
Speed Sport 1 plans to deliver more than 400 live events and thousands of hours of content to the channel. Obsession Media also announced the hiring of veteran television and motorsports executive Dan Teitscheid as president and general manager to run Speed Sport 1. He was previously president of the MAVTV Motorsports Network, and before that, held positions at Disney, ESPN Media and MTV Networks.
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MeTV’s “Svengoolie Classic Horror & Sci-Fi Movie” showcase, hosted by Svengoolie (Rich Koz), will expand to two-and-a-half hours beginning Jan. 7 with the premiere of “The Raven” starring Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and a young Jack Nicholson.
The expanded time slot will allow the run of longer titles or returning favorites with less editing, giving Svengoolie more time for original host content, mail, on-location interviews, visits from guests and space to bring back vintage bits.
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