This week in TV news, Netflix drops the first Fuller House trailer on YouTube, while ABC drops the first episode of American Crime on iTunes. Plus, HBO reveals plans for a Sean Penn miniseries, and FX reveals that we had way too much TV to watch in 2015!
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the amount of TV you need to watch these days, you’re probably not alone. According to a study published by FX Network this week, 2015 was a banner year for original scripted series, with over 400 shows airing across broadcast, cable, and streaming. “The unprecedented increase in the number of scripted series has reached a new milestone in 2015 with a record 409, nearly doubling the total in just the past six years,” said FX’s head of research, Julie Piepenkotter. “This was the third consecutive year that scripted series count has grown across each distribution platform — broadcast, basic and pay cable, streaming — led by significant gains in basic cable and digital services. This statistic is staggering and almost unimaginable from where they were a decade ago.” According to an infographic shared by FX, 2015 has nine percent more scripted TV shows than in 2014 — and that’s not including reality, news, sports, made-for-TV movies, specials, daytime, or children’s programming.
ABC has made the first episode of season two of its acclaimed drama American Crime (not to be confused with FX’s upcoming series American Crime Story about O.J. Simpson) available for free on iTunes as of Thursday morning. According to Deadline, “issues of sexual orientation and socioeconomic disparity come to a boil when lurid photos of a high school boy are posted on social media following a school party” in season two. Several cast members from season one — including Timothy Hutton, Felicity Huffman, Regina King, Lili Taylor, and Elvis Nolasco — will be joined by new cast mates Trevor Jackson, Connor Jessup, Joey Pollari, and Angelique Rivera in the new season, which will premiere on ABC at 10 p.m. on Jan. 6.
Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography about U.S. president Andrew Jackson, HBO’s adaptation of American Lion has found its “People’s President” in actor Sean Penn. Narcos creators Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard are attached to write the six-hour miniseries, which will commence production in 2016 with Penn joining Miro and Bernard as executive producer. HBO’s track record with presidential series is not too shabby. The Paul Giamatti-starring John Adams, based on a biography by David McCullough, received 13 Emmy awards in 2008.
Netflix teased its new Fuller House reboot by way of an ambiguous trailer Thursday, showing the inside of the Tanners’ empty living room. None of the original Full House cast members were shown during the 75-second teaser, but the unmistakable voices of Jesse (John Stamos), Joey (Dave Coulier), and DJ (Candace Cameron-Bure) could be heard over the tune of Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me.” What we do see is a young golden retriever who looks very happy that his people are home. Comet III? We’ll find out when Netflix drops every episode of Fuller House on Feb. 26. Check out the first teaser here.
