TAGGED AS: BBC, CBS, FOX, The CW
This week in TV news, CBS’ President discusses next season’s lack of diversity, Hamilton‘s director lands a deal at Fox, The Flash and Supergirl will do a musical, and more!
The first cast photo of the one-off revival/remake of the hit UK television series Are You Being Served? has been released by the BBC. The special will air overseas in September on the BBC as part of a 60 year celebration of the sitcom, which originally ran from 1972 to 1985. It will star John Challis, Roy Barraclough, Mathew Horne, and Sherrie Hewson as pink-haired Mrs. Slocombe, among more. But that’s not the only classic show getting a remake. Others to look forward to include Porridge, Keeping Up Appearances, and Up Pompeii!!
At TCA this week CBS President Glen Geller was asked to comment on the fact that the networks’ six new fall series star only white men this year. “We need to do better and we know it,” Geller acknowledged. “We are definitely less diverse this year than last year, and we need to do better.” CBS’ new slate: Bull, MacGyver, Pure Genius, Man With a Plan, The Great Indoors and Kevin Can Wait feature no women and no non-white actors among their leads. Last time Geller was asked to address the issue, he touted the greater diversity of the ensemble casts in its returning shows.
Thomas Kail, the renowned director of the triumphant Broadway production Hamilton and the esteemed Grease:Live has launched a production company at 20th Century Fox. Kail’s company, Old 320 Sycamore, has inked a deal with Fox to develop, supervise, and potentially direct both broadcast and cable projects with the media giant. Per the agreement, Kate Sullivan, who served as Kail’s assistant director on Grease:Live, will act as Head of Development of the company.
Variety reported from TCA that The CW has announced there will be a musical crossover between Supergirl and The Flash later in this season. Both shows have cast members with serious musical chops: stars Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist are both alums of Glee, and producers cited John Barrowman, Victor Garber, Jesse L. Martin and Jeremy Jordan as being especially excited about the crossover. EP Greg Bertlani said the episodes will use “mostly pre-existing” songs, although the writers hope to pen at least one original song for each episode. This musical crossover is separate from the huge four-show crossover between Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow scheduled in November.
