Paramount+ Investor Day announcements / "Barry" returns to HBO / Fox "Bloom County" series / "Windfall" trailer

Plus today's calendar, "Pieces of Her" series, Netflix's "Bad Vegan," "Promised Land" to Hulu, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network February 16, 2022

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"Sonic the Hedgehog" During its 2022 Investor Day event, ViacomCBS announced plans to rebrand the company as "Paramount." The company plans to invest around $6 billion in (mostly) streaming content by 2024, and announced a number of new shows and films bound for Paramount+. More: Film projects include a third entry in the "A Quiet Place" franchise, new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Transformers," and "Star Trek" spin-offs, and original movies continuing the stories of TV shows "SEAL Team" and "Teen Wolf." "Sonic the Hedgehog" will get a live-action original series, bridging the gap between the character's upcoming second and third theatrical films. The full runs of animated series "Beavis and Butt-Head" and "South Park" will both move over to Paramount+ later this year; the new series of both shows will also debut exclusively on Paramount+, with "South Park" moving full time to the streamer starting in 2024. The "Yellowstone" prequel series "1883" has been renewed for a second season; another prequel -- titled "1932" -- was announced along with three new projects from producer Taylor Sheridan, including star Billy Bob Thornton in the oil industry drama "Land Man," the mob drama "Tulsa King" with Sylvester Stallone, and Zoe Saldaña in the CIA thriller "Lioness." The widely-anticipated "Halo" series has been renewed for a second season. For younger viewers, Paramount+ will get a "Blue's Clues" spin-off film, bringing together hosts Steve and Joe for the first time, an animated "Dora the Explorer" reboot series produced by Nickelodeon, and three films expanding the world of "SpongeBob SquarePants." MTV announced "All Star Shore," a reality series bringing together stars from "Jersey Shore," "Love is Blind," "RuPaul's Drag Race," "Acapulco Shore," "Bachelor in Paradise" and more, along with new seasons of "Ink Master," "The Challenge," "The Real World Homecoming," "Queen of the Universe," "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars," and more. A new NCIS spin-off series, "NCIS: Sydney," will bring the franchise to Australia for the first time; "NCIS: Los Angeles" vet Shane Brennan, an Australian by birth, will serve as showrunner. Paramount+ announced two series from the UK: a period drama based on the novel "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles, and a prequel series based on the cult classic crime drama "Sexy Beast."

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"Barry" During its Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour day, HBO revealed that the celebrated dark comedy "Barry" will return on April 24. The network also released images from upcoming adaptations of "The Staircase" and "The Time Traveler's Wife," along with more updates. More: "The Staircase," coming to HBO in the spring, is based on the classic true-crime docuseries from filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, and centers on the death of Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette) and questions surrounding the possible involvement of her husband, author Michael Peterson (Colin Firth). The six-episode limited series "The Time Traveler's Wife" is based on the novel by Audrey Niffenegger, which was previously adapted into a 2009 film starring Rachel McAdams; the new series features "Game of Thrones" vet Rose Leslie and Theo James ("Sanditon").  The scripted biographical series "Julia" stars Sara Lancashire as iconic TV chef Julia Child; the first three episodes will debut on March 31. "The Wire" collaborators David Simon and George Pelecanos reteamed for the six-episode limited series "We Own This City," based on the book by Baltimore Sun journalist David Fenton; it chronicles a surge of violence and drug-related crimes in 2015 Baltimore. Filmmaker Judd Apatow co-directed the two-part documentary "George Carlin's American Dream," which profiles the massively influential stand-up comedian and features insights from Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Stephen Colbert, Bette Midler, W. Kamau Bell, Sam Jay, Jon Stewart, and many others. Ben Foster stars in the fact-based scripted series "The Survivor" as Harry Haft, a prisoner in the Auschwitz Nazi camp who's forced to perform in gladiatorial boxing spectacles for the amusement of his captors; Barry Levinson directed. VARIETY

DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16 JEEN-YUHS: A KANYE TRILOGY: Three-part documentary from filmmakers Coodie & Chike, looking back at the life and career of musical artist, fashion designer, and entrepreneur Kanye West over the course of 21 years. The film debuted at this year's Sundance Festival. One 90 minute segment will arrive each week on Netflix, beginning today. [Netflix] SWAP SHOP: The reality series follows along as collectors and bargain hunters chase down deals they first heard about on a local Tennessee radio show. It's back for a second season. [Netflix] SECRETS OF SUMMER (CIELO GRANDE): Spanish-language musical YA series about a teen athlete (Pilar Pascual) from Mexico who travels to a remote Argentinian resort to compete in a wakeboarding competition, and also uncover the truth about her family's history. [Netflix] THIRTY-NINE: Drama series from South Korea centering on the friendship between three women (Son Ye-jin, Jeon Mi-do, and Kim Ji-hyun) who are all on the verge of turning 40. [Netflix] THE FRENCH DISPATCH: 2021 anthology comedy film from writer/director Wes Anderson, following correspondents for the French foreign bureau of the fictional Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun as they prepare the newspaper's final issue. The cast includes Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson. It debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. [Disney+] MARVEL STUDIOS: ASSEMBLED – THE MAKING OF ETERNALS: The latest edition of the ongoing behind-the-scenes docuseries examines the production of the 2021 MCU film "Eternals," from director Chloé Zhao. [Disney+] LOST TREASURES OF EGYPT: The National Geographic series follows international teams of archaeologists as they excavate and explore Egypt's famed Valley of the Kings. Season 3 comes to Disney+ today. [Disney+] TITANE: 2021 horror film from writer/director Julia Ducournau ("Raw"), about a girl named Alexia who is left with a titanium plate in her head following a horrific car accident, and grows up to become a serial killer (Agathe Rousselle) with an erotic attraction to automobiles. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival; Ducournau is only the second woman director in history to take the festival's top prize. [Hulu] ROMAN TO THE RESCUE: Debut reality series from Disney XD and The Dodo following 10-year-old animal rescuer Roman McConn as he finds new homes for shelter dogs in need, with help from Disney Channel stars and other special guests. [Hulu] CRAIG OF THE CREEK: Season 4 of the Cartoon Network animated series debuted on TV back in November and comes to HBO Max today. The show follows the adventures of three friends as they explore the wilderness together. Phillip Solomon, Noël Wells, and H. Michael Croner co-star. [HBO Max] DREAM RAIDER: 8-episode Mandarin-language sci-fi drama from Taiwan about a team of scientists and police officers in the near future who are investigating a criminal conspiracy that invades the consciousness of its victims. The cast includes David Wang, Vivian Hsu, Jason Wang, Weber Yang, and Ellen Wu. [HBO Max]

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Fox is developing a primetime animated series based on the classic comic strip "Bloom County." Cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, who first launched "Bloom County" in newspapers in 1980, is onboard as a co-writer and producer. More: The lightly satirical strip originally ran from 1980 to 1989 and inspired a number of best-selling books. Breathed started posting new original strips to social media in 2015, and claims he was partly inspired by the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. A synopsis for the series indicates it will center on familiar characters Steve Dallas, Bill the Cat, and Opus the Penguin, who continue to live in "the world's last boarding house" somewhere in the American Midwest. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"Windfall" NEW TRAILERS PIECES OF HER: Mystery-thriller series starring Bella Heathcote as a young woman investigating her own mother (Toni Collette), whose bravery and resourcefulness during a seemingly random act of violence raises questions about her shadowy past. The series is based on a novel by Karin Slaughter, and comes from writer/showrunner Charlotte Stoudt ("Fosse/Verdon"). It lands on March 4. [Netflix] BAD VEGAN: FAME. FRAUD. FUGITIVES: True-crime docuseries from "Tiger King" and "Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened" mastermind Chris Smith, exploring the allegations against celebrity restauranteur Sarma Melngailis. She's accused of funneling money from her hip New York vegan eatery Pure Food and Wine into her personal accounts, and may have been lying about being vegan in the first place, among other charges. The series arrives on March 16. [Netflix] WINDFALL: "Hitchcockian thriller" starring Jesse Plemons, Lily Collins, and Jason Segal, and directed by Collins' real-life husband, Charlie McDowell ("The One I Love"). Plemons and Collins co-star as a couple who arrive at their vacation home, find that it's being ransacked by a stranger (Jason Segal), and then take the man hostage. The film debuts on March 18. [Netflix]

The ABC drama series "Promised Land" will close out its first season exclusively on Hulu. After the first four episodes averaged just 2.9 million viewers per week, and performed poorly among 18 to 49-year-olds, ABC dropped the series from its primetime lineup. More: The show's fifth episode will close out its ABC run on February 21; the final five installments will stream weekly on Hulu starting March 1. "The Good Doctor" will move into the spot vacated by "Promised Land" in ABC's schedule, Mondays at 10 pm. "Promised Land" centers on a wealthy and influential Latino family of vineyard owners in California's Sonoma County, and stars John Ortiz, Cecilia Suárez, Augusto Aguilera, and Christina Ochoa. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Paquin, Lacy, Hanks, and Tipton Peacock ordered the true-crime scripted series "A Friend of the Family," from "The Act" vet Nick Antosca. The series is based on the kidnapping of young Jan Broberg by a charismatic and obsessed neighbor, who then used psychological manipulation to turn the girl against her own family. More: The cast includes Anna Paquin, Jake Lacy, Colin Hanks, and Lio Tipton. Antosca will write and showrun the series; Eliza Hittman ("Never Rarely Sometimes Always") will direct multiple episodes, including the pilot. The story is based on a book by Jan's mother, Mary Ann Broberg, who will be portrayed by Paquin in the series. The Broberg case previously inspired an episode of the Netflix docuseries "Abducted in Plain Sight." DEADLINE

QUICK HITS Ready to empower your teams to quickly explore, analyze, visualize, and collaborate on all of your cloud data? It’s time for Sigma.* Showtime renewed the anthology drama series "Super Pumped" -- which relates controversial stories from the world of business -- for a second season, which will focus on the relationship between Facebook executives Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. Apple TV+ ordered a documentary series chronicling the last 20 years of the NFL's New England Patriots; filmmakers were granted behind-the-scenes access during the team's 2021 season, following the departure of quarterback Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Netflix behind-the-scenes Formula 1 docuseries "Drive to Survive" will return for a fourth year -- recapping the 2021 racing season -- on March 11.  The New York Times' "On Tech" newsletter profiled YouTuber Linus Sebastian, who used his online notoriety to build a successful online clothing and merch business. In a statement posted to social media, voice actor John DiMaggio explained why he had not signed on to reprise the role of Bender for Hulu's "Futurama" revival series, writing "it's about self respect." Veteran NBC News legal analyst Katie Phang will host Peacock's "The Choice from MSNBC," a breakdown of the week's biggest political stories streaming on Thursdays and Fridays at 2 pm, starting April 14. After introducing the practice on the Barry Jenkins limited series "Underground Railroad," Amazon Prime Video plans to add on-set counseling services to a number of its upcoming productions.

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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