TAGGED AS: Amazon, AMC, BBC, CBS, CBS All Access, Disney, HBO, PBS, Sci-Fi
This week in TV news: Sherlock return date announced, Bryan Fuller gives up showrunner role on new Star Trek, Game of Thrones and Walking Dead suffer leakage, and more!
Sherlock’s season 4 premiere date has been set for Jan. 1, 2017, on PBS’s Masterpiece and kicks off with episode “The Six Thatchers.” The stars of this wildly popular modern adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s works — Benedict Cumberbatch, as titular detective Sherlock Holmes, and Martin Freeman, as Dr. John Watson — will be joined by Toby Jones (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), who is “bringing to life one of Doyle’s finest villains,” according to co-creator, writer and executive producer Steven Moffat. In the new season, Holmes returns to British soil, as Dr. Watson and his wife, Mary (Amanda Abbington), prepare to become first-time parents.
Bryan Fuller is stepping down as showrunner of CBS All Access’s Star Trek: Discovery. Fuller’s heavy production responsibilities for Starz’s upcoming drama American Gods and NBC’s reboot of Amazing Stories, and his inability to commit the time to make the show’s premiere date were cited as reasons in a Variety report. Fuller will stay on as executive producer and still be involved in story development.
Clive Barker’s adaptation of Weaveworld on the CW did not make it to pilot last season, and now original writer Jack Kenny (Falling Skies, Warehouse 13) has been replaced. The network appointed Josh Stohlberg (Piranha 3-D and the upcoming Saw: Legacy) to redevelop the project and co-produce along with Barker and Angela Mancuso for CBS TV Studios. Justin Lin’s YouTube channel The YOMYOMF Network is rebooting ’80 smart-car series Knight Rider. Lin is resuscitating the TV classic in 2017 for a new generation in a partnership with gaming-centric Machinima and NBC Universal. Marvel’s Jessica Jones made news this week when showrunner Melissa Rosenberg announced season 2 of the series will hire all female directors. Rosenberg’s commitment is a conscious decision to put inclusiveness at the forefront of the hiring process. After an extensive bidding war, the seminal Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner has landed his new television project at The Weinstein Company and Amazon. Weiner will create, write, and executive produce the series — and is expected to direct close to half of the episodes in its debut season. Weiner’s yet-to-be-titled series will be an anthology, set in the present day, and the stories will span across the globe. The Muppet Babies are making their return to television! Disney announced the news this week, noting that the series will utilize CG-animation and will be geared towards kids ages 4-7. Beloved baby Muppets Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and the gang return in early 2018.
Exciting news! The #MuppetBabies are back and they're coming to #DisneyJunior! pic.twitter.com/S2qMy1dvk2
— Disney Junior (@DisneyJunior) October 26, 2016
Early on Wednesday morning, a vandal took a sledgehammer and pickax to Donald Trump‘s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and videotaped the destruction, Deadline reported. A man calling himself James Otis is taking responsibility for the act, claiming that he dressed up in construction gear and attempted to remove the star with the intention of auctioning it off — though the damage looks much more like a smash than a grab. Trump, the current Republican presidential nominee, received the star in 2007 for his performance as host of NBC’s The Apprentice. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (who awards the stars) has filed a police report, and the investigation is ongoing. Our guess is that they won’t be awarding a second star for Trump TV, as the Donald has stated that he has no interest in that venture.
It's really disappointing there are people who are determined to ruin Season 7 for everyone… ? #spoilsports
— Nathalie Emmanuel (@missnemmanuel) October 22, 2016
I'm simply saying I don't see why we can't focus on making a great season for the fans in peace… it's a shame. #notangryjustdisappointed
— Nathalie Emmanuel (@missnemmanuel) October 22, 2016
