"Atlanta" renewed for S4 / CNN+ Murdochs series / Roku shares tumble / Showtime's "First Lady" trailer

Plus the weekend calendar, Lizzo reality competition series, Olivia Rodrigo doc, Seyfried joins "Crowded Room," and more

Inside.com Part of   Network February 18, 2022

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"Atlanta" FX renewed "Atlanta" for a fourth and final season. The show's long-awaited Season 3 debuts on March 24. More: During his virtual presentation to the Television Critics Association (TCA), FX chairman John Landgraf conceded that he'd inaccurately guessed when "Peak TV" would occur when he helped to popularize the term back in 2015. In total, Landgraf promoted 19 debut FX/FXX series and 11 returning shows, most of them headed to the Hulu streaming service. The "Alien" spin-off series from "Fargo" vet Noah Hawley will apparently be set on Earth many years before the birth of Sigourney Weaver's iconic character, Ellen Ripley. Olivia Colman will co-star as Miss Havisham in FX and BBC's limited series based on Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations"; Fionn Whitehead will star as Pip. The drama series "The Old Man" -- which was delayed so star Jeff Bridges could undergo cancer treatments for lymphoma -- is back in production, and will debut this summer. "Pistol," a drama series from Danny Boyle based on the memoir by Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, will premiere in May. A comedy-drama series from "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner -- which had been announced prior to the pandemic -- is no longer in development at the network. The decision to cancel freshman post-apocalyptic series "Y: The Last Man" was made following a "really steep decline" in viewership over the show's first season. As we reported yesterday, the network also renewed "Dave" and "Fargo" for new seasons. DEADLINE

Lachlan, Rupert, and James Murdoch CNN+ announced the documentary series "The Murdochs: Empire of Influence," profiling the media tycoon and his family, and investigating their impact on global events. The six-part series is based on the New York Times Magazine article "How Rupert Murdoch's Empire of Influence Remade the World." More: The series will combine archival footage along with interviews from former Murdoch employees. New York Times journalists Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg served as consulting producers for the series. "The Murdochs" will stream exclusively on CNN+ in the spring. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18 THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL: The period comedy-drama series -- starring Rachel Brosnahan as a housewife-turned-comedian in 1960s New York -- returns on Friday for a fourth season, and adopts a weekly release schedule for the first time this year. (Two new episodes will arrive each Friday.) Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen, Martin Hinkle, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin Pollak, and Caroline Aaron co-star; Jason Alexander joins the cast this season. [Amazon] LOL: LAST ONE LAUGHING CANADA: Jay Baruchel hosts the Canadian installment of the reality competition franchise, in which comedians face off to see who can make the others laugh first. Competitors include Carolina Rhea, Brandon Ash Mohammed, Debra DiGiovanni, K. Trevor Wilson, Jon Lajoie, Andrew Phung, Colin Mochrie, Dave Foley, Mae Martin, and Tom Green. [Amazon] LOV3: Coming-of-age comedy-drama series from Brazil about three siblings (Bella Camero, Joāo Oliveira, and Elen Cunha) in São Paulo who have lost faith in conventional relationships after witnessing their parents' dysfunctional marriage up close. [Amazon] SEVERANCE: Debut sci-fi thriller series from first-time writer/creator Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller, about a tech company that offers employees a cutting-edge procedure to separate their memories of work from their memories of time spent at home. Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette co-star. [Apple TV+]  LINCOLN'S DILEMMA: Four-part documentary series, based on historian David S. Reynolds' book "Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times," examining President Lincoln's evolving stance on slavery, and the events that ultimately led to its abolishment. Jeffrey Wright narrates, while Bill Camp and Leslie Odom Jr. provide the voices of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, respectively. [Apple TV+] SPACE FORCE: The workplace comedy-drama series stars Steve Carell as Air Force General Mark R. Naird, who's put in charge of the upstart military branch. The cast also includes John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Jimmy O. Yang, and Don Lake. Greg Daniels, who previously collaborated with Carell on "The Office," serves as showrunner; "Parks and Recreation" vet Norm Hiscock joined the series for Season 2 as co-showrunner. [Netflix] DOWNFALL: THE CASE AGAINST BOEING: Documentary exposé from filmmaker Rory Kennedy ("Last Days in Vietnam") about two separate Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed a total of 346 people in 2018 and 2019, and the corporate culture that led the company to allegedly prioritize profit over passenger safety. The film debuted at this year's Sundance. [Netflix] TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: 2022 slasher film, serving as a direct sequel to the original 1974 "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," ignoring all other remakes and sequels. Picking up several decades after the original, the film finds survivor Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré) returning to take out Leatherface (Mark Burnham) once and for all. Elsie Fisher, Jacob Latimore, and Sarah Yarkin co-star. [Netflix] THE CUPHEAD SHOW!: Debut animated series based on the hit video game, about the misadventures of the impulsive Cuphead (Tru Valentino) and his anxious brother Mugman (Frank Todaro) across the '30s cartoon-inspired Inkwell Isles. [Netflix] RABBIDS INVASION SPECIAL: MISSION TO MARS: Animated special spun off from the "Rabbids Invasion" series, which in turn was based on the Ubisoft video game franchise. Humanity sends the Rabbids on a dangerous mission to the Red Planet in order to confront a galactic threat. [Netflix] PAINTING WITH JOHN: Unscripted series starring musician, painter, and actor John Lurie, featuring a combination of painting tutorials and reflections on life, music, and art. (The title references Lurie's '90s cable series "Fishing with John.") It's back for a second season. [HBO Max] TOP GEAR: The 30th season of the BBC One docuseries -- which covers everything from the world of cars and driving -- aired early last year in the UK and comes to HBO Max in the US today. Chris Harris, Paddy McGuinness, and Freddie Flintoff co-host. [HBO Max] THE KING'S MAN: This 2021 spy action-comedy from co-writer/director Matthew Vaughn is the third installment in the "Kingsman" film franchise, based on the comic books by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. This WWI-set prequel relates the origins of the Kingsman program, and finds the members confronting a murderous plot devised by a collective of history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds. Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance, and Harris Dickinson co-star. [Hulu and HBO Max] THE FEAST: 2021 Welsh-language horror-thriller set at a lavish dinner party in a remote house. Annes Elwy stars as a mysterious young woman who poses as a server, but has a dark hidden agenda. "Doctor Who" vet Lee Haven Jones directed. [Hulu] UPROOTED: Three-part true-crime docuseries re-examining the death of 19-year-old Keith Warren, who was found hanging from a tree in Silver Spring, Maryland, in July of 1986. The series follows Warren's sister, Sheri, who has spent 35 years looking for answers about what happened to her brother, only to encounter roadblocks and systemic corruption at every turn. This is the first long-form documentary from the media company NowThis, which is best known for brief social media-friendly content. [Discovery+] SHOCK DOCS: ALIEN ABDUCTION: Two new "Alien Abduction" specials debut Friday on Discovery+. The first looks back on the case of Betty and Barney Hill, who claim to have come face-to-face with a UFO while driving home to New Hampshire from their honeymoon. The second concerns Travis Walton, part of a logging crew that allegedly encountered an alien spacecraft in an Arizona national forest in 1975. [Discovery+] EXTRAORDINARY STORIES BEHIND EVERYDAY THINGS: The educational series from Magnolia -- which looks into the background and history of iconic American-made products -- returns for a third season on Friday. [Discovery+] THE WONDERFUL WINTER OF MICKEY MOUSE: Animated special, spun off from the series "The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse," which debuted in 2020. Mickey, Minnie, and all of their familiar friends explore a winter wonderland and have fun in the snow. [Disney+] SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20 LAST WEEK TONIGHT: The award-winning news commentary and comedy series -- in which host John Oliver dissects a single current events-related topic over the course of a half-hour -- returns for a ninth season on Sunday. [HBO Max] FROM: Debut sci-fi horror series from first-time writer/creator John Griffin and producers Joe and Anthony Russo, about a nightmarish Middle America town that mysteriously traps anyone who enters. Harold Perrineau, Eion Bailey, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Shaun Majumder co-star. [Epix] DON'T KILL ME (NON MI UCCIDERE): Italian fantasy-horror film -- based on the book by Chiara Palazzolo -- starring Alice Pagani as a 19-year-old who dies of a drug overdose along with her boyfriend (Rocco Fasano). When she mysteriously wakes up, she finds that she must consume human flesh in order to remain alive. [Netflix]

Shares in Roku dropped by around 25% on Friday following a disappointing Q4 2021 earnings report. Roku brought in $865.3 million in revenue in the quarter, coming in short of Wall Street's expectations of $894 million. More: Roku closed 2021 with 60.1 million active accounts, an increase of 17% from the same period in 2020. Revenue grew in Q4 by about 33%, year over year, well below the 51% growth rate Roku reported in the previous quarter. Roku devices now come pre-installed in about 1/3rd of all North American smart TVs. Roku's stock has been dipping since July, as part of a general downtrend in the streaming business. Roku executives have argued that, as the streaming marketplace becomes more competitive, individual streamers such as Disney+, HBO Max, and Netflix will rely more and more on Roku to promote and highlight their content. DEADLINE

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"The First Lady" NEW TRAILERS LIZZO'S WATCH OUT FOR THE BIG GRRRLS: In this reality competition series, 10 aspiring plus-size dancers will move into the "Big Grrrls House" and face off for a chance to join Lizzo on her upcoming world tour. The "Truth Hurts" singer hosts the series, which hits Prime Video on March 25. [Amazon] OLIVIA RODRIGO: DRIVING HOME 2 U (A SOUR FILM): Documentary feature profiling actor and singer Olivia Rodrigo, chronicling the creation of her debut album "Sour," including a significant road trip from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, and featuring performances of some of her most popular songs. It debuts on March 25. [Disney+] THE FIRST LADY: Debut historical drama series from producer Susanne Bier ("Bird Box") relating stories about three of America's most influential first ladies, starring Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt. The cast also includes O-T Fagbenle as Barack Obama, Aaron Eckhart as Gerald Ford, Kiefer Sutherland as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dakota Fanning as Susan Ford, Judy Greer as Nancy Howe, and Lily Rabe as Lorena Hickock. It debuts on April 17. [Showtime] HUSTLE: Sports drama feature starring Adam Sandler as a washed up former NBA scout who becomes a mentor to a promising young prospect (Juancho Hernangómez) from overseas. Queen Latifah, Robert Duvall, and Ben Foster co-star; the film also features a number of cameos from real NBA players and coaches. It arrives on June 10. [Netflix]

Seyfried and Mundruczó CASTING UPDATES THE CROWDED ROOM: Amanda Seyfried and Tom Holland will co-star in the drama series from writer Akiva Goldsman ("A Beautiful Mind") and "Pieces of a Woman" director Kornél Mundruczó. Each season will relate the story of a character who has learned to live with mental illness; Season 1 was inspired both by Goldsman's own life and the biography "The Minds of Billy Milligan" by Daniel Keyes. [Apple TV+] YOU: "The White Lotus" vet Lukas Gage signed on for the fourth season of the Netflix romantic thriller as a series regular. He'll play Adam, a wealthy American heir and compulsive gambler who's living abroad. Gage will also be seen in Peacock's upcoming biographical series "Angelyne." [Netflix]

Chozick and Plec HBO Max ordered a first season for the comedy-drama series "The Girls on the Bus," which has previously been in development at both Netflix and The CW. The series is inspired by a chapter in journalist Amy Chozick's memoir "Chasing Hillary," about her time spent following Hillary Clinton on the presidential campaign trail. More: Netflix had originally ordered a first season of the series in 2019, but dropped the show after the pandemic stalled the start of production; it was then picked up by CW. The series will center on four female journalists as they trail a variety of flawed political candidates around the country. Chozick will write and executive produce the series alongside "Vampire Diaries" vet Julie Plec; "Arrowverse" mastermind Greg Berlanti is also on board as an executive producer. VARIETY

"Disco Elysium" Amazon Studios signed an overall deal with dj2 Entertainment to produce new TV series based on popular video games. dj2 produces the theatrical "Sonic the Hedgehog" films, and is also developing scripted content based on recent Game of the Year winner "It Takes Two." More: dj2 is reportedly already at work on TV adaptations of the game titles "Life is Strange" and "Disco Elysium." Amazon is separately pursuing a series adaptation of the EA sci-fi game franchise "Mass Effect." It's been a big week for video game adaptations, with Paramount+ renewing its "Halo" series for a second season, the theatrical debut of Sony's "Uncharted" film, and Netflix's announcement of a new film based on the "BioShock" franchise. DEADLINE

QUICK HITS Startup tested, enterprise approved. Explore all of your data with no code required. Sigma Computing is cloud analytics for all – not just for sum.* The Crunchyroll streaming app is now available for the Nintendo Switch console. BBC America released a "Killing Eve" featurette to YouTube in which stars Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, and Fiona Shaw reflect on the series ahead of its fourth and final season. Netflix greenlit a documentary from filmmaker Sam Pollard ("MLK/FBI") about five-time NBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist Bill Russell. Apple announced the four-part true-crime docuseries "The Big Conn" from "McMillion$" duo James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte; the series profiles Kentucky lawyer Eric C. Conn, who was responsible for a massive half-billion-dollar Social Security scam. Comedian Bill Maher's 12th HBO special -- titled "#Adulting" -- will be taped on March 4 and 5 at the Fillmore Theater in Miami, and will hit streaming this spring. HBO Max paused production indefinitely on the half-hour family comedy pilot "Camp Friends" following a positive COVID test on set. The creative team behind Netflix's debut animated series "The Cuphead Show!" talked about bringing the video game to TV with INBTWN Animation. *This is sponsored content

Lon Harris is the writer and editor of Inside Streaming and was the very first person to ever write an Inside newsletter. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also writes about TV and film for Fandom, Screen Junkies, Rotten Tomatoes, Gamma Ray and others. Plus he has a Game of Thrones podcast called "Casterly Talk" and competes on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown as "The Professor." Editor Jonathan Harris is a writer for Inside.com. Previously, he wrote for The Huffington Post, TakePart.com, and the YouTube channel What’s Trending.

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