TV News Roundup: Viola Davis to Produce ‘XQ Super School Live’ Event
In today’s roundup, NBC gives a commitment to drama pilot “The Unrequited,” while Viola Davis will exec produce the multi-network live event “EIF Presents: XQ Super School Live.”
DEVELOPMENT
NBC has given showrunner Kevin Falls a put pilot order for “The Unrequited,” Variety has confirmed. The hourlong drama series will tell the story of four adult siblings who descend on their mother’s home for their father’s funeral, the former governor of California. After the youngest and only son finds an old, unopened love letter from a college girlfriend, a chain of events begins that may change the trajectory of both his own life and members of his family. Falls, former EP for “Pitch,” previously created and executive produced the NBC drama “Journeyman“ and also co-created and executive produced the TNT dramedy “Franklin & Bash.” Falls is repped by WME and attorney Stuart Rosenthal. Deadline first reported this news
“How to Get Away With Murder” star Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, her husband and producing partner, have signed on to executive produce XQ Institute and the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s one-hour special “EIF Presents: XQ Super School Live,” which will invite the public to help rethink the future of American high schools. The telecast, broadcast live from Barkar Hangar at Santa Monica Airport, will combine live musical, comedy and documentary segments to bring to life the past, present and future of the American high school system. The event will air live from Los Angeles on all four major U.S. networks – ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC – on Friday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. ET. The event will also be produced by Done + Dusted and directed by Hamish Hamilton.
“We are excited to team up with EIF and XQ Institute to help bring awareness to the issue of high school education and ensure that our students are receiving an education that prepares them for the future,” Davis and Tennon said. “As executive producers of this live special, we are honored to work alongside some incredible names in the entertainment and education space.”
ADVOCACY
Celebrities have come together to support director Rotimi Rainwater’s upcoming documentary “Lost in America,” about the homeless youth crisis in the United States. Halle Berry, Kenan Thompson, Jewel, Sanaa Lathan, and Rebecca Gayhart Dane have all signed on for feature interviews, in addition to executive producers Russell Simmons and Jon Bon Jovi. A former homeless youth himself, Rainwater spent three years traveling around the country documenting the stories of homeless children to help incite change. The film also features Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) who, with Simmons and Bon Jovi, is working to support the Rainwater’s “Wake Up!” campaign to make an impact, to create legislation, and bring the issue of youth homelessness to the forefront of the national conversation.
(Pictured: Viola Davis and Julian Tennon)
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