Wynonna Judd to Join ‘The Voice’ as Season 24 Mega Mentor (TV News Roundup)

Wynonna Judd has been announced as the Season 24 “mega mentor” on NBC’s “The Voice,” joining the singing competition to help offer guidance to the show’s remaining contestants.

In addition to star coaches Niall Horan, John Legend, Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani, Judd will assist the competitors as they prepare for the next round of the competition: the three-way knockouts, which begin Nov. 6.

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Five-time Grammy award winner Judd has been a name in the music industry since the release of her solo debut self-titled album in 1992. She has also collaborated with her mother, the late singer Naomi Judd, as The Judds. Some of the singer’s most popular songs include “No One Else on Earth,” “Tell Me Why,” “She Is His Only Need,” “Girls With Guitars” and “I Saw the Light.” Judd is also preparing for her solo tour “Back to Wy.”

“The Voice” airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC; episodes are available the next day on Peacock.

In other TV roundup news:

FIRST LOOKS

Prime Video has released the trailer for the feature length sports documentary “Bye Bye Barry,” about the life and career of former NFL running back Barry Sanders. The doc will debut Nov. 21 on the streamer.

Sanders was a Heisman Trophy winner, NFL Rookie of the Year and 1997 league MVP. Considered one of the NFL’s best players, his sudden retirement in 1999 at the age of 31 came as a shock to the world.

“Barry Sanders is the best running back to ever play,” said Matt Newman, head of Prime Video Original sports content. “We’ve all watched his highlights and wished he had played longer in the NFL, and wondered why he really retired so abruptly. We are thrilled to look back at his extraordinary career and get to better understand one of the biggest icons of the sport.”

The documentary’s summary reads, “Twenty-four years after the shocking decision to walk away from the sport, NFL Films joined the 55-year-old Sanders and his four sons on a trip back to England to explore his career, revisit his upbringing, and share his joys and heartbreaks. Sanders and his boys visit the most famous landmarks in London to tackle one of the greatest mysteries in sports history: Why did he retire when he did?”

The documentary features interviews with Sanders, his family, Eminem, Jeff Daniels, Tim Allen, Emmitt Smith, Calvin Johnson, Herman Moore, Rodney Peete, Chris Spielman, Kevin Glover, Jalen Rose, Jemele Hill, Dan Patrick and Bill Belichick.

“Bye Bye Barry” is an NFL Films production and is executive produced by Patrick Kelleher, Ross Ketover, Ken Rodgers and Brian Rolapp for NFL Films. Paul Monusky, Micaela Powers and Angela Torma are the co-directors of the documentary.

Watch the trailer below.

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Comedian Leo Reich’s first solo stand-up comedy special, “Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?!,” will debut this December on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

As per the press release, the A24 special’s description reads: “Treading the line between hilarious stand-up and humorless performance art, ‘Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?!’ blends songs, anecdotes, and anxious non-sequiturs in a valiant attempt to raise awareness about important social and political causes … or something.”

“To have been given the opportunity to turn this flamboyant, odd, over-the-top, exhausting show into a comedy special is a dream come true in itself. But to have been able to do it with A24 and HBO is beyond a dream,” said Reich in a statement. “I’m honored that these storied institutions are risking their impeccable reputations by putting their names to my gay little comedy show.”

“When we first saw Leo, we were so struck by his incredible talent,” Nina Rosenstein, EVP of HBO Programming, Late Night & Specials, said. “He is a wickedly funny writer, a spectacular performer, and his musical numbers are nothing short of epic. He goes full force in this special and gives it so many rich layers, making it such a fun one to watch.”

See below for some of the first look photos:

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“Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale,” a new seven-part drama series from Sundance Now and AMC+, has released first look images.

Adapted from the novel “Sanctuary” by V.V. James, the series takes place in the contemporary English town of Sanctuary. Here, witches live peacefully among members of society until a local teen rugby player dies in an apparent accident. Sanctuary’s resident witch, Sarah Fern (Elaine Cassidy,) and her daughter become the target of a massive witch-hunt led by Abigail (Amy de Bhrun), the dead boy’s mother and once Sarah’s close friend.

“Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale” is written and created by Debbie Horsfield. It premieres exclusively on Sundance Now and AMC+ on Jan 4.

See below for first look images.

PROGRAMMING

Peacock and Bravo have announced that Peacock will stream uncensored versions of future Bravo reunions. Andy Cohen revealed the news during his “Ask Andy” panel at BravoCon on Friday.

This news follows the release of uncensored reunions for the Bravo reality shows “Below Deck Sailing Yacht,” “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” “The Real Housewives of New York City,” “The Real Housewives of Orange County” and “Vanderpump Rules.”

Future reunions will stream on Peacock one day after they air on Bravo.

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Catchy Comedy Network will remember late actor Richard Moll, who died at 80 on Oct. 26, with a “Night Court” marathon. From Nov. 4 to Nov. 6, Catchy will air 88 back-to-back episodes of sitcom “Night Court” (1984-1992), which starred Moll as bailiff Bull Shannon.

“Night Court” centered on Harold “Harry” T. Stone (Harry Anderson), a young judge presiding over a Manhattan Criminal Court. Moll, who was six-foot-eight, played the “gentle giant” bailiff in the show, which became his breakout role.

The top ten best episodes with Moll will air on Nov. 4. Some of the episodes include “Walk Away, Renee;” “The Game Show;” “A Night Court at the Opera;” and “Get Me to the Roof On Time.”

EVENTS

Westfield Century City shoppers can experience a Winter Wonderland, thanks to “The Santa Clauses.”

The Disney+ original series will host a pop-up event in advance of the Season 2 premiere. According to the press release, the mall’s atrium will be transformed into a North Pole that features an ice rink roller disco, elf performances, exclusive merchandise and an interactive snow globe. The event will take place on Nov. 7 at the shopping mall.

“The Santa Clauses” follows Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) as he attempts to make his son, Cal (Austin Kane) his successor for the Santa position. The first two episodes of Season 2 release on Nov. 8, with new episodes dropping weekly.

AWARD SHOWS

The Earthshot Prize has announced its presenter and performer line-up for its third awards ceremony on Nov. 7.

According to the press release, the Earthshot Prize, which was founded by Prince William in 2020, “aims to discover and help scale the world’s most innovative climate and environmental solutions to protect and restore our planet.”

Held in Singapore, the program will feature Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”) as host, honoring the 15 finalists. Presenters Cate Blanchett (“Tár”), Lana Condor (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”), conservationist Robert Irwin and actor-humanitarian Nomzamo Mbatha will announce this year’s five awardees, who will each receive one million pounds to further their environmental initiatives. Bastille and OneRepublic are slated to perform.

“The Earthshot Prize is, again, highlighting and incentivizing courageous, progressive, and inventive solutions that can be rapidly upscaled,” said Blanchett. “I am proud to be a small part of unveiling the Winners.”

The awards program premieres Nov. 12 on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS app.

PARTNERSHIPS

Fox News Audio is expanding its partnership with Audacy to now encompass Fox Weather, the Fox News Media’s free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) weather service, effective Nov. 1. Audacy additionally distributes Fox News Podcasts and the Fox News Talk audio streams.

Listeners can access weather news, reporting and live programming from over 120 meteorologists on the Audacy app as well as audacy.com. Audacy has offered Fox News Audio content since 2019.

Consumers can also access Fox Weather on Verizon Fios, Samsung TV Plus, Cox, The Roku Channel, fuboTV, YouTube TV, Fire TV Channels, Optimum, Spectrum, LG Channels, DIRECTV STREAM, Xumo Play, WOW!, Vidgo, TuneIn, Plex and Astound Broadband.

STREAMING

ABC News Live will now be available to stream on Pluto TV in the United States.

“As news consumption patterns evolve, it is imperative to meet viewers where they are,” Reena Mehta, senior vice president of streaming and digital content at ABC News, said in a statement. “With Pluto TV’s wide distribution and ABC News Live’s reputation for journalism excellence, this collaboration further showcases the value of our straightforward news approach for a streaming audience, guaranteeing that our trusted coverage is accessible to as many viewers as possible.”

ABC News Live has won multiple major awards from Edward R. Murrow for Network Coverage, Deadline Club, Society of Professional Journalists, National Association of Black Journalists, The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, the Gracies and National Headliner, among others. The anchor team includes Linsey Davis, Diane Macedo, Kyra Phillips and Kayna Whitworth.

Pluto TV is available on multiple streaming platforms, including Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

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